


Protégée

by miic_fire



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Canon Rewrite, Coming of Age, Fix-It, Gen, Mentor/Protégé, Redemption
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-20
Updated: 2013-08-25
Packaged: 2017-12-20 20:04:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 22,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/891309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miic_fire/pseuds/miic_fire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An attempt to rectify an interesting character concept gone to waste.</p><p> </p><p>Warnings: Graphic Violence, Adult Language, Spoilers on the Mass Effect Series.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Recruitment & Debriefing.

**Author's Note:**

> This piece is partly a full-fledged original story, and partly a bunch of ideas I had about how I would have rewritten Morinth’s whole character-arc through Mass Effect 2 & 3.
> 
> Comments are appreciated! After getting my feet wet a bit with some smaller and less imaginative ideas, I’m now attempting to branch out into more original and ambitious stories. I will read and consider all (constructive) feedback, even if I do not actually respond to them.

* * *

 

With a fistful of biotic energy in both hands she pushed ahead, escorting her teammates with the protective sphere she’d erected around them. Sustaining the barrier had not been a problem so far, but Morinth was now beginning to feel some strain. Dark, waxy, with strange fluids occasionally dripping from the ceiling, the Collector base was more like an insect hive than a fortress.

Vulnerable in her current position, she trusted her teammates to keep her unscathed through every ensuing encounter with the enemy, and they trusted their lives with her as she held the protective field around them. That trust was something very new to her; Morinth had learned at a young age to trust no one and live by her wits alone. Now, she was part of a team. Some of them didn’t think she belonged, but she was determined to prove to them that she really was committed to their squad.

 

* * *

 

**"Look into my eyes and tell me you want me. Tell me you'd kill for me. Anything I want."**

“… Don't count on it.”

“–but you… who are you?? Oh no, I see what’s going on. The bitch herself found a little helper.”

Just then, Samara marched into the apartment determinedly to confront her fugitive daughter.

"Morinth!" she called out, unleashing a biotic force that propelled Morinth backwards off of the couch she was sitting on. She slammed into a glass window that cracked behind her, but didn't quite break. She grunted once in pain.

"…  _mother_ ," Morinth replied haughtily.

"Do not call me that!"

"I can't _choose_ to stop being your daughter,” she replied, “…  _mother_."

"You made your choice long ago," Samara shot back.

"What choice??" she asked as she pulsed her biotics, releasing herself from her mother's hold. "My only crime was being born with the gifts _you_ gave me!" Morinth switfly lifted a nearby chair with her biotics and hurled it at her mother, knocking her over.

"Enough Morinth!!" Samara got up and cast her biotics again, knocking Morinth over, though she quickly got back on her feet as well.

Mother and daughter alike generated a powerful mass effect field to strike each other, only for their destructive biotics to combine and effectively offset the opposing force defensively. As a result, both sides were deadlocked; the first to lose hold of their biotic energy would be knocked down and likely executed by the other. Then, Morinth tried something Samara did not expect.

**“Feel the power of the Ardat Yakshi!”** Morinth exclaimed as her eyes turned black.

“Morinth!” cried Samara. “What are you –?”

Samara then started to feel Morinth channeling dark energy into her, sucking the life out of her body. It required additional biotic power to do what Morinth was doing, but Samara's draining strength negated the advantage she would have had against Morinth's weakening defense - a brilliant tactic. Samara would die the instant she lost her hold on her biotics, but then she realized she could still win, easily.

“She’s gotten stronger than I expected,” said Samara to Shepard, “help me finish her!”

“No!” cried Morinth desperately. “You see what I can do. Give me a chance, Shepard. This isn’t justice!”

And then, Shepard intervened.

"You've done enough," he said, grabbing Samara's arm, "Morinth is with me, now." Samara's biotics powered down completely.

"You will regret your decision," Samara declared, glaring at him. Just then, Morinth dealt a biotic blow that knocked her over with bone-crushing force. Samara lay on the ground incapacitated. Morinth walked up to her and generated another fistful of biotic energy.

"Goodbye, _mother_!" she said, grabbing her by the neck and decapitating Samara with a lethal Warp-field.

Morinth got up and looked at her executed mother in disbelief. It was over, she thought: no more running… finally free…

Next, her attention turned to Shepard. He was mother's accomplice, trying to help kill her. Instead, Shepard helped her kill Samara.

“Thank you, Shepard,” said Morinth. “You could have killed me, but instead, you helped me finish her. I owe you for that.”

"Samara said you were a monster," said Shepard, "but I saw her for what she was on Illium, willing to gun down law-enforcement officers carrying out orders because of some crackpot ancient asari Code." Those words were like a breath of fresh-air for Morinth. It seemed no one understood her mother's tyranny under the veil of justice. "Two wrongs don't make a right."

"You are so right," Morinth replied, pleasantly surprised. "All this romanticized bullshit on the vids of the Justicars, I'm glad you could see through it all."

It almost felt too good to be true, but the dead body of her mother beside her on the floor affirmed that this was all real.

“You helped me,” she said again. “Now I owe you. If you want my help on your mission, I’ll join you.”

“You don’t sound convinced,” said Shepard.

“Well,” said Morinth, “you know I'm not afraid of the danger, but I’m not one to go die valiantly for other people. That was mother. Your mission is supposed to be suicide. I’m just not sure I like the idea of signing on for certain-death.”

"We're making all the necessary preparations to pull this thing off," Shepard explained. "It may be high-risk, but we're not winging it. We're doing our due dilligence to make sure it's a success. If the Illusive Man and I don't succeed, it can't be done."

His words were reassuring enough to her. "I'm also putting together the best damn team I can to pull it off,” he added. “You just went toe-to-toe with an asari Justicar and you were winning, even before I came in. You can't teach that. Whether or not you can handle a weapon as well remains to be seen, but that will come with time. You'll learn from the best." And with that, Morinth was suddenly excited.

"I should also add… I went through Aria to get to you. She knows what you did and sees you as a threat."

It wasn’t a lie, but only half-true in reality. Aria T'Loak, Omega's de-facto ruler, did find out about a killing by an Ardat Yakshi, but did not identify Morinth herself. Aria also acknowledged the threat that such a criminal poses, but only to Omega's citizens, not to herself.

"You're not safe here, and Aria may even pursue you off-world to ensure safety."

“Really?” asked Morinth. “Wow, thanks for telling me. I was certain I’d covered my tracks.”

"Nobody will be able to touch you on my ship," Shepard assured her. "We'll make Aria think you died here. And once our mission is over, we can get you somewhere safe."

"Wait," she said. "You put my mother to justice because you didn't like the way she did things. What about me? You can’t really be okay with the things I’ve done. How do I know you aren't planning to kill me or turn me over to the authorities after your mission is over?"

"You're right," Shepard admitted. "I'm not one to let a fugitive walk away so easily. That's why I'm giving you this opportunity. Death and prison are not the only ways to deal with criminals. Think of this as 'community service.' Do your time with me, and I consider your past actions dealt with."

"Seems like a light punishment," Morinth pointed out.

"Don't forget it's a 'suicide' mission I'm taking you on," Shepard reminded her. "Survive that, I think you more than deserve to live."

"Well," she said, "you did just help me, twice, when you didn't have to."

Shepard nodded in acknowledgement. "Our needs are aligned here."

"And what about your crew?" she asked. “Won’t they know?”

"Leave that to me," said Shepard. "I'll vouch for you and make sure we're all working together. Shouldn't even be too hard to do, considering some of the people we've recruited already."

"Thanks, Shepard," she said earnestly. "That really means a lot to me."

"You'll be one of us," said Shepard, "and I look after my people. You have my word on that. Anyway, get whatever you need and report to the docking bay just outside Afterlife. You're allowed up to one footlocker worth of personal belongings."

"Got it,” said Morinth, waltzing off to go gather her things. “This is going to be fun..."

 

* * *

 

Waiting just outside the airlock, Shepard smirked as he hung up on a call to the Normandy. He told Jacob he was coming back to the ship and bringing Morinth with him, telling him to be ready to do a debriefing. After waiting two full seconds and hearing no response from his end, Shepard cut the line. The thought of Jacob's face after hearing what he said amused him to no end. A few minutes later, Morinth appeared with a backpack of her belongings.

"Shepard," she said, looking out over the docking bay at the Normandy SR2. "Your ship looks beautiful."

"That's only the half of it," he replied. "Wait 'til you see the inside." Shepard entered the passcode on the door console and opened the airlock. They passed through the decontamination field and the two of them walked in together, getting a few sideways-looks from some Cerberus personnel. Walking into the debriefing room, Jacob was waiting with his arms crossed, and looking even more vexed than he did upon Thane's recruitment.

"Commander," he said, "there better be a really, damned good-"

"First of all, Jacob, I don't answer to you," Shepard interrupted. “Second, the answer is ‘yes,’ this decision is in the best interests of the team – as it always is.”

“What happened?” Jacob asked, still very much unsettled.

"Morinth bested her mother. I followed Samara's plan to help capture her, but she underestimated what Morinth was capable of and it got her killed.” He, of course, left out the fact that he helped Morinth finish the job.

“So that’s it?” said Jacob. “One of our teammates gets killed, and you want to recruit the murderer? Shepard, this is wrong! It’s a  _betrayal_.”

“No,” said Shepard. “Samara proved she was a liability to our team. Whatever she had to offer us, she threw it all away by choosing a personal fight she couldn't win, and putting that fight ahead of our priority in stopping the Collectors. Morinth did not have to submit to Samara’s authority, not on Omega, and she had the right to defend herself. She also brings no personal issues to the table that need be resolved and is fully-committed to our mission right now.”

"And how did we go from self-defense to joining our squad?" asked Jacob skeptically.

"Morinth is on Aria's radar and her henchmen may well be after her right now," Shepard explained. "I pointed out that the Normandy can provide her protection from now until the end of our mission, so long as she stays in line. 'Til then, Morinth's immense talent as a biotic makes up for Samara's lost spot on the squad, and I know how to get the most out of my men."

“She’s a pleasure-killer,” Jacob said in what seemed like a last-ditch attempt at changing Shepard’s mind. “Her own history suggests that she’s going to kill us at the first chance she gets.”

Morinth felt slighted by Jacob’s constant objections to her joining the squad, but she knew he was right to be cautious about her. Nonetheless, she felt humbled by the way Shepard stood up for her. For that, Morinth was even more resolved to prove herself worthy of Shepard’s selection.

“A little late to make that complaint,” Shepard countered casually. “We’ve recruited more than our share of convicts and mercenaries already, why stop now? Hell, we recruited Samara despite her willingness to commit mass-murder at an Illium police department. And Morinth isn’t stupid. She’s not going to shoot us in the back while we provide her protection on this ship.”

Shepard’s talents as a soldier and as a leader were well-documented. What people often didn’t expect from him was his skill as a negotiator. He had a way with words, with rhetoric, and was naturally charismatic enough to compel others to listen to him. This trait was every bit as important to him as what he could do with a pistol.

Jacob sighed. “The crew is seriously going to question your judgment if _anything_ goes wrong with this,” he pointed out.

"Let me worry about that," said Shepard. "Until then, remember that we haven't had any problems so far and that I'm more than capable of dealing with a wild card. The risk is well worth the reward here - Morinth has even more biotic talent than Samara did. To that end, we need all the damn help we can get."

"I'll cooperate with any security-checks you need," said Morinth.

Jacob buried his face in the palm of one of his hands.

"One smooth-talking boss to feed me bullshit wasn't enough, huh?" he muttered, obviously alluding to the Illusive Man as the other boss. "We'll be watching her, Commander, but fine." Jacob shook his head a bit and walked out of the debriefing room.

Shepard turned his attention to Morinth. "Check the armory and get equipped with whatever weapons you're comfortable with," Shepard commanded her. "In the meantime, there's space for you down in the Observation Lounge."

"I will. Thanks, Shepard," she replied.

“Thank me by showing it on the battlefield,” said Shepard sternly. “You’ll get your first taste of live combat very soon. Be ready.”

As strange and awkward as it felt, Morinth stood at attention and gave him a salute. “Aye aye,” she said seriously. Shepard acknowledged this with a nod and then walked out the door.

Alone in the debriefing room, Morinth felt it all starting to sink in. She never imagined anything like this, serving on a warship under a living legend like Commander Shepard. Even mercenary work with a major band like Eclipse _paled_ in comparison to where she was now. What did this all mean for her? She didn’t know yet, which was scary, but at the same time, exhilarating.

Morinth had a pretty good feeling about one thing, though: this was going to be fun.


	2. Lesson 1: Synergy.

* * *

 

Up to this point, the only thing in the team’s way as they advanced through the base was the usual mob of enemy forces trying to shoot them down; tough, but Shepard and his team were better. Now, they had to pass through this chamber plagued with swarms of venomous seeker-bugs to get to the heart of the base. The seeker swarms threatened to paralyze and likely outright devour them if she dropped the barrier, but she’d sooner die than fail them now.

“Get down!”

 

* * *

 

A few hours had passed that Morinth sat alone in the observatory deck with her thoughts. She looked out across the void for a while, letting the moment sink in. It all happened so fast. Not even four hours ago, Morinth was sitting in the comfort of her apartment with someone interesting she’d met at the club – someone she believed just another intimate liaison for the night. It was never more than just a night. Even then, she could sense something different about her most recent. All the people she’d gone through, she’d categorized into different types: the artist, the traveler, the athlete, the rogue, the hunter… just to name a few. This human male calling himself Shepard was unique to all of her categories – he had a bit of all of them, but no one label defined him precisely.

Many questions lingered about him… how did mother and Shepard cross paths? Why was he the first to stand up for her against one of the most celebrated figures among her people? What made his character exceptional to all the people she’d met in over 400 years?

Whoever he was, exactly, he had just completely changed her life. She left her apartment and was off of Omega now, soon to travel across the galaxy as part of an elite group of mercenaries. It felt like a story from the vids, but this was all completely real.

Shepard walked in and spotted her sitting quietly in the corner on a couch.

“Morinth. How are you settling in?”

“Your ship is gorgeous,” said Morinth. “I can’t wait to see where this mission takes us before we jump through the Omega-IV relay.”

“We’ll be picking up a friend of mine from a former quarian colony-world called Haestrom," said Shepard. "It's deep in geth-space; needless to say, we’re expecting to find trouble on this one.”

“Sounds like fun,” she commented.

“You’ll get to experience it first-hand,” Shepard reminded her.

“Then I’m looking forward to it!”

“It’ll be a few hours before we make it. In the meantime, I was hoping the two of us could just talk for a bit.”

“I’d love that.”

“If you don’t mind, though, I have some pretty personal questions I wanted to ask.”

“About mother?”

“About your condition.”

“Oh. Alright, it’s not a problem.”

“When did you find out about it, and what did you do then?”

“I was 39. I don’t know what that is in human years, but it’s still considered a child by asari standards. I would go through puberty the next year. Mother was very conservative, teaching us all the traditional ways of asari culture and our religion. I hated it all. It just wasn’t me. Mother tried to teach us self-denial, but I valued being my own person. We never had a very good relationship because of that.”

“And it was that year, when I turned 40, that mother told me I’d have to live in a monastery for the rest of my life under supervision because of my condition. That was the last straw for me. I had dreams. I wanted get out of the house, choose my own path, live free and find people who would value me for the person I am. When I heard about living at a monastery under the supervision of elders, it sounded just like home and mother’s traditional teachings all over again, and that I’d be stuck there for the rest of my life. I couldn’t live with that. I wasn’t going to let bad genes ruin my chance to live free. So I ran away before they could send me off. And mother hunted me ever since – but you changed that.”

"- So your conflict with your mother was deep-rooted. It wasn’t just about you running away from home.”

“Yes. I was not the daughter she wanted, one who embraced our people’s arts, culture, religion, and followed traditional ways. That was never me. I had my own tastes in music, paintings, sculpture, and poetry – the old-fashioned stuff just doesn’t speak to me. I was fascinated by stories of people who’d explored the stars. Mother didn’t care what I wanted, she only cared about what she wanted from me. She did her duty raising us with precision and care, but no love. Because of that, I was never close to her.”

“I had friends who understood me better than she ever did, and for a while, I found my happiness in them. It all changed after I found out about my condition. If mother had her way, I’d be holed up in one of those awful monasteries for the rest of my life, never to see my friends again. Even if I didn’t have to go, my friends wouldn’t have accepted me any longer if they knew I was an Ardat Yakshi. I’ve been alone in the world ever since that day.”

“- I think you have more in common with your mother than you realize.”

“What do you mean?”

“- Samara left everything behind to become a Justicar, because she didn’t approve of the lifestyle choice you made. You didn’t approve of the lifestyle they wanted of you, so you left everything behind to escape it. And in the end, you both fought each other for what you became: a Justicar, and a fugitive.”

“She had a choice. She didn’t have to become a Justicar. She could have just let me go and lived her own life. I was going to be lonely no matter what.”

“Maybe she didn’t. Whether she let you go or not, she was always going to be tormented by the decision you had made with your life, so she did the only thing she felt she could to make things right.”

“Why would it torment her when she didn’t really love or care about me in the first place?”

“- Because she did really love you and care, she just didn’t know how to show it.”

“Why are you thinking about this, anyway? You killed her. Remember?”

“- I know. I’ve killed many people, Morinth. Many. More than I can keep track of. And yet those are some of the people I think about the most. What, if anything, did I admire about that person's character? Why did he have to die by my hand? What, if anything, should their lives teach me about the way I live mine? That’s just who I am: a thinker. Anyway, I’m just rambling at this point. It’s something to think about, though. Your mother may have been very different from you, but you might want to stop and think about the ways in which you’re actually both similar.”

“… You’re talking about the fact we both killed lots of people.”

Shepard said nothing.

“If you saw us both as killers, why kill her, and not me? She was already sworn to you.”

“- Because, among other things, Samara was stuck in her old ways. But I see the potential in you."

Intrigued, Morinth sat up a bit. "What kind of 'potential?' " she asked with a smug grin on her face.

“Potential to become something very powerful,” he said. “I can help you realize it and - more importantly - set you on a path to greatness with it.” He paused and fell silent, looking off for a moment. “Anyway, I should get back to my duties. We’ll talk again later.”

Morinth was silent as he walked out, thinking about the things he'd just told her. It sounded like he had some kind of plans for her, and she was curious what kind of “greatness” he figured she could achieve.

And so she had her answer about him: Shepard was, in his own words, “the thinker.” That was a new one; Morinth couldn’t categorize very many of her previous partners under this type, which explained why he was so different from any others she knew. But for such an exceptional person, that seemed like such an ordinary title to have. She couldn’t put her finger on him: someone so black-and-white on the surface, but very complicated underneath it all - paradoxical, enigmatic. It explained why he was so dangerous, though. No one truly knew what he was.

All the same, she looked forward to seeing him in action soon, and proving herself on a live battlefield.

Morinth had but never seen a geth in person, what to say of fight one in combat.

 

* * *

  
  
Shepard hustled ahead to take cover behind some large cement cylinders while his tech-armor shielding soaked up enemy fire. While the geth focused on him, Morinth and Jack hurried along behind him. They had just talked to a quarian marine who had given them the layout of the battlefield. Shepard’s friend, Tali, had locked herself away in a small building on the other side. Geth were at platoon strength, as the quarian informed them. As Jack and Morinth got in cover with Shepard, they looked up at him, waiting for him to decide which route they would be taking.

“Alright, middle is frickin’ suicide, so hell with that. Right side’s high ground means nothing to me. Our squad is built for mid-to-close range, so left it is. Colossus can’t fire at us on that side until we reach it up there where it’s standing. Jack and I will take point. Morinth, give us cover-fire. Use your Phalanx, damn thing is like a pocket sniper-rifle with faster shots. On my signal, use your biotics to pull a target – as many of them as you can. We’ll need some detonations to clear the field.”

He stopped abruptly as though waiting for something.

Its cannon-head peering from above the large wall in front of it, the Colossus fired off a shot at them. Their cover absorbed the hit.

“Let’s go!” he yelled immediately afterwards, moving forward with Jack to the left. They took cover behind a large slab of stone and took out a couple geth with their shotguns. Morinth stayed behind with her pistol ready. As they moved up ahead, she waited for the Colossus to fire another shot at the cover behind her. After it did, she followed behind them where they had taken cover last. Shepard raised his right hand and pointed forward at a group of geth. Jack promptly pulled three of the unshielded ones into the air, which Shepard detonated with a warp-field. In the meantime, Morinth did what Shepard ordered her to do: shoot down the geth at range. A couple shots from her pistol helped finish off some troopers after Shepard and Jack’s shotguns took down their shields. Shepard raised his left hand. That was her cue. Morinth pulled a rocket-trooper into the air, which Shepard finished off with a warp-field. The ensuing detonation stunned a pair of geth, the last ones remaining. Shepard and Jack’s shotguns finished them off. They moved on ahead; Morinth followed their lead. They moved on ahead. The path was clear ahead of them until they reached the Colossus again at the entrance to the small stone building where this "Tali" was holed up.

The Colossus sat between the building and a large wall to the front of it. Shepard and his party arrived at it from the left side, giving them a clear line of fire at the armature, but it had a sizeable squad of troopers defending it. Shepard took cover behind a sturdy crate close to the action. Morinth was ordered to take cover at the edge of the wall behind him. Jack was ordered to position behind the building, opposite Morinth’s side. Geth had swamped the area around the Colossus. While Morinth and Jack focused on the geth troopers around him, Shepard worked on the armature. Shepard went all-out, shooting the Colossus relentlessly with one of his SMG or shotgun while casting tech-powers and biotics on the side.

Morinth heard the stories of Shepard’s exploits, but seeing him at work in front of her eyes was breathtaking. Combat was an art to him. In the moment, he became an entirely different person than the one she saw at the club, or even back on the ship. Between his tech, biotics, and weapon skills, Shepard took total control of the battlefield. “Unstoppable” was the only word to describe him here. It set the tone for the rest of his squad, too. Adrenaline rushed through her veins as Morinth unleashed a storm of bullets from her assault-rifle at all the geth troops defending the Colossus. She also cut loose with her biotics, tossing the enemies about like ragdolls as they foolishly tried to outflank Shepard. Jack, at the other side, was firing shots from her geth-shotgun and sending biotic shockwaves in the geth’s general direction. Impressive for a human, thought Morinth of Jack’s biotic power.

Shepard popped out of cover and fired his shotgun at the Colossus once more, then standing and watching as the giant armature shriveled up and ultimately exploded in front of them gloriously, taking out the last few geth remaining along with it. Beautiful, she thought, as scorching scrap metal rained down around the area. They had just taken down a geth Colossus – the largest type of geth in existence – on foot! She looked at Shepard, expecting he’d be proud of the squad’s accomplishment. Looking at him, though, she couldn’t tell. There was a look in his eye like he was happy about it, but otherwise, he was entirely stoic as he walked ahead to the door of the building. Maybe he was just more interested in seeing his friend right now, now that they’d taken care of the geth. Even then, though, she’d thought he would have been more excited about it. Morinth just couldn’t figure what was on his mind.

Whatever he was thinking though, Morinth had certainly had a blast. What an amazing first mission!!


	3. Lesson 2: Rhythm.

* * *

 

“Get down!” Shepard instructed her, warning of the hostiles just ahead of them. Morinth took cover behind a convenient ledge between her squadmates and the enemy, protecting her from being spotted by husks or being hit by a row of the scion’s concussive blue flares. Morinth felt one of the ground-shaking impact of one of these flares as it hit the back of the ledge. It was all up to Jack, Grunt, and Shepard now to clear the field.

 

* * *

 

At the mess-hall, Morinth received a helping of Gardner’s pasta – ravioli, they called it, stuffed with beef and cheese – with a side of steamed vegetables and small pack of chocolate pudding. Normandy’s kitchen staff did an admirable job with the limited resources they had, though Shepard did make a point of grocery-shopping for them whenever he was on the Citadel. The squad and crew sat together in the hall for meals, but Morinth felt uncomfortable around most of them. More than a few looked at her suspiciously, and some particularly antagonistically. But there was one person, besides Shepard, whom she did feel somewhat comfortable with. Someone who – like Morinth herself – did not eat with the rest of the crew either, but alone in her quarters.

After she’d taken her food from the kitchen island, Morinth stood at the end and waited until Jack took her fill.

“Hey,” said Morinth to Jack. “That was a pretty intense mission on that quarian planet.”

“Yeah,” Jack responded. “It was. ‘Never fought one those flashlight-heads before.”

“Wanna kick it in my quarters for a bit?” Morinth asked her. “We can eat there, and talk, in private.”

“Hmm… sure, that sounds good.”

Morinth smiled and the two of them made way for the observation room down the hall and to the left with their plates. Morinth, per usual, settled in the corner on the couch. Jack joined her.

“This is very exciting for me,” said Morinth. “Getting to travel across the galaxy, going places and doing things no one else can even imagine…”

“That’s right,” Jack concurred. “I wanted nothing to do with this mission when Shepard tried to recruit me. Let’s just say, I’ve had a bad history with Cerberus. But we made a deal. And now, I’m kind of enjoying it. No lack of ‘hunting’ on this mission, and I’m even getting paid to do it.”

“Exactly,” said Morinth. “I was with Eclipse for a while, and took up a little dueling as a hobby, but nothing compares to this. I’m still learning to get as good with my weapons as the rest of you; good thing my biotics make up for it for now.”

“I hear that,” said Jack. “When I was starting out, they were the only thing that kept me alive. I learned how to hold a gun later, but even then, my biotics have saved my ass so many times. Dunno where I’d be, otherwise.”

“Your biotics are powerful. I didn’t know humans could be such talented adepts.”

“Cerberus test subject,” Jack admitted, “before I can even remember. They were training me and doing experiments to make me an all-powerful biotic.”

“Wow,” said Morinth. “I had no idea.”

“I broke out when I was ten, or something. I had to learn how to survive on my own all these years.”

“Sounds familiar. Ardat Yakshi are not supposed to live away from the monastery, so that made me a fugitive when I ran away from home. You can’t rely on anyone when you’re on the run from the law.”

“Nope,” said Jack.

“I was 40, which is still really young for one of my people.”

"And your own mother was trying to hunt you down," said Jack. " _That's_ really fucked up."

"Yeah," said Morinth. "She was a terrible mother, even before that. I'm glad some of you guys understand, though."

"Hell, Morinth. Just about all of us are misfits, anyway."

"I think some of the others still hate me, though. Like Jacob."

"Well nobody cares about Jacob," Jack said curtly. "I don't think Shepard even likes him." Morinth snickered. "I hate Miranda the most, though. Maybe when this is over, you and I can tag-team the Cerberus cheerleaders!"

Morinth laughed devilishly. "We'll see."

The two of them fell silent for a little while. Morinth felt that spark with Jack, that feeling she got when she felt attracted to someone. Jack was definitely the type of person she’d take back to her apartment for the night. And just like that, she felt that strong urge inside her to feed, common of all Ardat Yakshi. If this were Omega, she thought. But it wasn’t. Shepard’s reprisal would be hell to deal with, if not spell the end for her. Even if she wanted to, though, everybody on the ship knew about her condition and wouldn’t rationally let her seduce them.

“Nice talking to you,” said Jack, looking down at her empty plate. “We should do this again, though.”

“Definitely,” said Morinth. “I don’t get too many visitors here.”

 

* * *

 

Shepard walked into the observation deck, doing his regular rounds with the squad. Morinth, per usual, occupied that dark corner on the couch. He walked over to her and spotted a pill-bottle.

“What’s that?” he asked her.

“Oh,” Morinth replied awkwardly, “just a pill-bottle.”

“… Of?”

“Hallex.”

“How’d you get that past security?” he asked.

“I had it labeled as prescription medication,” Morinth explained. “Jacob didn’t check twice.”

“That’s not going to fly around here.”

“Shepard, I can explain. Narcotics help me fight my… ‘urges’ to mate. Better drugs than sex, right?”

“Hmm…” Shepard grunted. “I’ll see if Dr. Chakwas knows of any treatment for your addiction.”

“No,” said Morinth, “there’s no rehabilitation for Ardat Yakshi. We’re not supposed to be outside the monastery, anyway.”

“I meant for the drugs.”

“Oh,” said Morinth. “Well, it’s just Hallex. Not really a big deal.”

“Yes it is,” said Shepard. “I could need your help on a mission at any given time. If you’re under the influence of something, that compromises us. Aside from that, it’s my personal recommendation as someone who has been there before.”

“Alright,” said Morinth, “okay, I guess I understand that. But what do you mean, ‘been there before?’ I thought you were more tolerant about this.”

“You mean, when we first talked on Omega? No, I had to make you think we shared the same interests.”

Morinth was a bit disappointed. “Oh,” she responded. “Well, any inspirational stories on quitting?” She asked, with a little passive-aggressive sarcasm, which was not lost on Shepard.

“I was 16 or so, and selling drugs on the corner of the street one day,” Shepard explained, “under the influence, as usual. I had a customer approach me – also high – who couldn’t quite afford what he needed from me. We argued, it got ugly, and then he pulled a gun on me. I was unarmed. He was going to kill me for sure, but just then, he toppled over. Dead. I guess he overdosed or something and it just killed him. I learned that day that, when you do things the wrong way, you’ll meet one of two ends: jail, or death. In my youth, I did a lot of jail time. But that day, I saw how I could die if I kept doing this: dead from overdose, or shot by another addict. It spooked the shit out of me… and, literally into sobriety.”

“… Wow,” Morinth remarked. If there ever was a good reason to quit, she had just heard it.

Unbeknownst to her, though, it was a lie. Shepard’s real story was a lot more mundane. It was true that he used and sold drugs as a youth, but he didn’t quit quite so early. His substance-abuse continued well into his military career, but he happened to know how to get away with it on the drug-tests. Quitting was his own conscious decision, as part of a larger decision to turn his life around. However, he knew that a story about his virtuousness would not impress Morinth, so he fabricated a new one that would.

“Okay,” said Morinth, “I’ll think about that.”

“You never truly quit,” said Shepard. “After you’ve gotten a taste for it, you’ll never truly stop craving. When I recruited your mother, we fought through Eclipse warehouses full of red-sand, and it made me itch for a little shot. Any time I see it, or even think about it too much, I start wanting it again. You’ll always feel that temptation to go back.”

“What stops you?” she asked.

Shepard shrugged. “There are more important things in my life now – like my career, and everything that comes with it. I can’t have both, and I prefer my career. What I do is always rewarding. Drugs may feel good at first, but after a while, they start to leave you feeling empty. So yes, my advice as someone who’s been there: quit. If you’re not going to quit, _at least_ stay clean for as long as you’re on my ship.”

“I will, Commander.”

“In the meantime, I’ll find out if Dr. Chakwas has medication to help with your withdrawal symptoms.”

Morinth sat up a bit. “You know, I’m interested to hear more about your childhood. Nobody really talks about that part of your life.”

“Hmm… alright. Well, I grew up on Earth as an orphan. My parents were both killed before I had any memory of them; I was two. I was raised in that orphanage, and spent a lot of my youth running with gangs. I did a lot of things then that I’m not proud of now, but even at that time, I recognized my future on Earth for the dead-end it was. I enlisted with the Alliance as my ticket out of that life. It wasn’t an easy adjustment to make and I got into trouble early and often with my superiors. I kept at it, though, and after a while things clicked for me and a little bit of luck got me to where I am today.”

“What kind of things did you do while you were a gang-member?”

That question made Shepard a bit uncomfortable, but he could see how answering it would be valuable to Morinth.

“Well, I told you about the drugs thing. I used quite a bit back in the day, and I sold it too. Easy money. And, I was a good salesman. I kept a knife in my pocket since I was five. I learned to use a gun when I was seven. I killed someone for the first time when I was 11. When another gang showed up in our district, we went to war and I killed many more at just 14. I worked my way up and oversaw some of our operations – like a prostitution ring. I’d have lived comfortably in that life if I wanted to, but I didn’t want to. I just felt like my skills were going to waste down there, and I was inspired by stories of humans in space. So I looked to the Alliance for a new start.”

Morinth fell silent for a few moments before she finally spoke up again, “So what are the things about your career that make you a happier person now?”

Shepard rubbed his chin a bit. “Well, lots of things… such as: exploring the galaxy, the action it brings, the people I meet, the friendships I make, getting paid quite handsomely… yeah, just lots of things.”

“You must have someone special in your life too,” said Morinth.

Shepard chuckled. “Um, well no. I’m still single, at the moment.”

“No way,” Morinth responded, astonished. “I thought you’d have all the options in the galaxy.”

“Oh, I get plenty of interest,” said Shepard. “I’m just not looking for those casual ‘flings’ at this point. I had my fun with that a long time ago. I’m not even really looking for something serious right now, either. I’m married to my career. If I find the right person, someone I want to share my life with, I think I’ll know. Until then, though…. Anyway, I should get back to it. I won’t need you today, but you’re up again soon and I need you with a clear head.”

“Of course, Commander. I’m sorry about that.”

“Don’t worry about it, just worry about getting clean.”

Shepard got up and walked out of the room. Like last time, he left her with a lot to think about. Shepard in his youth sounded a lot like where she was now in her life. Only, Morinth didn’t feel the need to change what she was doing.

One thing he said, though, which really made her think, was about the feeling of emptiness inside from the simple pleasures, like drugs. He was right. It was also true of sex, in her life – it satisfied her, deeply, but not for long. Morinth was happiest when she found someone she was truly attracted to, savoring all the time she spent with them. It made her feel loved, and she lived for that feeling of intimacy with another person, culminating all the way up to the most intimate thing she could share with them: sex…

… And that was the end of it. What was she supposed to do, though, when she fell for someone? Tell them: “sorry, love, we can’t have sex or you’ll die!” and lose them? Hadn’t she suffered from loneliness and neglect long enough already?

She mated because she was lonely. She was lonely because she mated. It was a vicious cycle, and she felt herself stuck in a never-ending spiral. Granted, she didn’t look for help. She knew, deep down, that what she was did to her victims was wrong – she just didn’t care. Why should she care about other people, when nobody – not even her own mother – cared about her? Her mother, who saw her not as a daughter, but a virus. At least Morinth saw the ones she killed for the people they were.

But she _was_ killing, though, like mother was doing. And that made her wonder.

And the other thing: jail, or death…

 

* * *

 

Shepard and Morinth huddled behind a stack of hard supply crates. Garrus kept a distance behind them, sniper-rifle equipped. Alerted to their presence beforehand, Blue Suns mercenaries were closing in on all three.

“So last time, I had you play a support role for us. This time, I’m putting you closer to the action.”

Shepard looked over his shoulder; Blue Suns mercs got in cover and started shooting at them.

“Come on!”

Morinth had with her now the Mattock, a hard-hitting semi-automatic rifle. It let her do a lot more damage than the last rifle she used, the Avenger. Once she heard a break in enemy fire, she popped out of cover and fired off several shots. Her aim was a bit erratic. She got back in cover for a while as the enemy took shots at her again. Then she came out firing again and shot back, still off-the-mark.

“Slow down a little,” Shepard advised her. “Focus on making your shots hit first. Then, you can pick up the tempo.”

Morinth and Shepard – armed with his Tempest SMG – stood up and fired at the mercs. Morinth only fired four bullets, but they all hit. She got back in cover for a few moments and then popped up again, taking another six shots, then jostling her weapon with the bottom of her palm to remove the heat-sink. In the meantime, Shepard took out a couple mechs closing in on their position. Loaded with a full magazine in her rifle, Morinth got up one more time and emptied out all 16 shots in the chamber, landing 12, killing two troopers and stripping the shields off a heavy-weapon wielder, which Garrus finished off with a headshot.

Shepard scanned the area. “Alright, let’s move.” Privately, Morinth was thrilled. This was tough work, but she was kind of getting a hang of it. The three of them advanced ahead in the same formation: Shepard at point, Morinth a step behind, Garrus in the back. The Blue Suns’ warehouse was like a maze of shipment containers, crates, forklifts, elevated platforms, and even some explosive tanks. They moved on; Shepard glanced back at Morinth for a second before his eyes returned in front.

“ **Rhythm** is the name of the game,” he said, still focused straight ahead. “It’s something these mercs are terrible at. Get mentally set, and keep a steady pace. Don’t be sloppy, fighting like a rabid varren foaming at the mouth.”

The three of them found themselves in a narrow section of the Suns’ depot where some shipment crates moved on a conveyer-belt overhead, across the length of the room. They followed the path straight in front of them until they encountered the mercenaries again, dead ahead. In their immediate vicinity lay some crates on the ground and on an elevated platform. Shepard and Morinth took the high-ground. As they did, a pair of mechs appeared at their exposed right side. Morinth froze, taking fire on her biotic barrier; Shepard backtracked almost immediately after spotting them and settled in cover on the ground, behind the charging mechs. Morinth followed him next, and between his shotgun and her rifle, they safely took them down.

“Defensively,” said Shepard, “bend, but do not break.” Shepard mounted their cover and moved back to the high-ground. Morinth stayed on his hip. Once safely out of the mercenaries’ line-of-fire, Morinth peered out of cover and fired at a Blue Suns trooper focused on Shepard, taking him out effortlessly. Shepard and Garrus, in the meantime, engaged two others between his SMG and tech attacks. Next she turned her attention to a ‘Suns turian with blue tech-armor and a shotgun, attempting to flank them. Morinth took out his shields and then wounded him severely before Garrus planted a sniper-rifle shot squarely on his forehead, delighting her with the pile of bodies and scrap metal they left behind as the episode was over. Shepard, per usual, stayed focused on the path ahead.

“It ain’t over ‘til it’s over,” he remarked. “Let’s push ahead.”

Morinth stuck closely behind Shepard as they advanced. Suddenly, a pair of turian shotgunners jumped them from the side. Morinth had let down her gun and was caught off-guard, casting a biotic shockwave at them in panic which merely shunted them slightly, ineffective. Shepard readily fired twice from his shotgun and launched a wide biotic throw-projectile their way, knocking them both over. Morinth finished them off with her rifle.

“Always mind your surroundings,” said Shepard. “Never let your guard down.”


	4. Lesson 3: Survival Instinct.

* * *

 

Shepard spat and discharged a heat-sink from his M-22 shotgun. “We’re clear, c’mon!” Morinth got up from her spot but was getting exhausted. There was light at the end of the chamber – they were nearing the end. Not a moment too soon; she couldn’t keep this up much longer. A few husks came crawling in from the open edges of the corridor, and were shot dead swiftly. Morinth took notice of the phenomenal work they did keeping the enemies off of her completely. Now she had to finish the job for them as well. The irony of it all: when Morinth and Shepard first met, they were both planning to kill each other.

In the end, Shepard helped save Morinth from her mother, saying a few words that meant the world to her…

_“You’ve done enough. Morinth is with me now.”_

She pushed on ahead with all the strength she could muster.

 

* * *

 

Examining the wreckage left behind from a crashed merchant freighter, Shepard picked up a nearby datapad. Garrus and Morinth were in the shore-party.

 

 

> MSV Corsica
> 
> Reflective Armor X-4378  
>  15 crates: reflective armor X-4378  
>  Source: Jarahe Station  
>  Destination: ERS Facility
> 
> LOKI Mechs  
>  180 Count  
>  Source: H-K Mechanics Division
> 
>   
>  YMIR Mech  
>  1 Count  
>  Source: H-K Mechanics Division  
>  Destination: ERS Facility

  
“Hmm,” Shepard muttered. “Interesting, they were carrying a large supply of mechs.”

“But why the crash?” asked Garrus.

“Dunno,” Shepard replied. “Let’s keep looking.” Shepard then spotted what looked like an audio log, which he picked up and activated. It played a recording:

 

 

> “Trent, there’s an issue down in our cargo hold. Marcus thinks the mechs are activating, then self-destructing. Take a look.”

  
Then it hit him: the cause of this crash was a rogue-VI, or a virus. Or both.

And the VI may very well have backed itself up into the mechs still intact here at the crash site.

“Morinth,” said Shepard, “head back to the shuttle.”

“Commander?”

“Garrus and I are just going to examine this transmitter; we won’t be long. Otherwise, we’re done here.”

“Understood,” she said, turning and heading back the way they came from.

After picking up on a distress-beacon signal, Shepard and the team came here to investigate, finding the wreckage of a crashed merchant ship. Neith, the planet they were led to, was chilly on the surface and had a fairly rocky terrain. Debris from the ship was lying around everywhere. Morinth tried to look down the path ahead to the shuttle, but she couldn’t see that far down, and some kind of sandstorm was coming on.

As she walked along, Morinth heard what sounded like some kind of machines powering-on. Next, the distinct sound of marching light-mechs, though she couldn’t see any. Morinth turned back and looked at the wreckage of the ship, where Shepard and Garrus stayed behind to investigate. They were both gone. Just then, Morinth felt a couple projectile shots on her biotic barrier. Mech activity! Immediately she found cover behind a large rock and pulled out her Mattock battle rifle.

The Mattock was an older model of assault-rifles that had a rugged, rustic look to it. Its exterior was of a polished brown color that almost made the weapon look wooden. Morinth favored this rifle over the others in the Normandy armory, stowing one away in her locker that she “customized” with her own personal touch: engraving “SISTERS” on the left side of it. When firing (right-handed), she could see the engraving from the corner of her eye. A tribute to her Ardat Yakshi sisters who stayed behind on Thessia to live in the monastery, and whom she hadn’t seen in centuries. Naturally, Morinth missed them dearly, even if she had fallen out of favor with them when she ran away. When this mission was over, and if she survived, Morinth wished to see them again. Another motivator for her.

Two mechs, incoming down the side of a hill, were wielding the usual Shuriken SMG or Predator pistol. They always seemed to come in pairs. From up top, making their way down, they took shots at her position. Morinth ducked down behind the rock and waited to for her barrier to recharge. Once her biotic shielding came back up, Morinth got up out of cover and took her shots at them, slowly and carefully. She stayed out of cover firing until the mechs breached her biotic barrier, then going ducking back behind it to recharge. The mechs made it down to the ground and were closing in quickly, but Morinth had busted the heavy-armor plating off of them. When she got up, she casted a wide biotic throw-projectile to knock them over, allowing her to finish them off with ease as they lay on the ground.

Morinth got up to advance ahead before she felt a couple shots from the side. More mechs, coming in from another hill due west of her position. From behind the rock she’d used for cover, Morinth slid over to the right side, shielding her from the mechs approaching her from the other direction. Same drill. Morinth got up and kept shooting until they breached her barrier, then taking cover to wait for her shields to recharge. Once they had, she took out the mechs’ armor plating, tossed them over, and finished them before they could get up.

She was clear. Morinth looked back at the crash site. No sign of Garrus or Shepard – where the hell were they? That sandstorm was getting worse, decreasing the visibility of her surrounding area. She heard the sound of Shuriken and Predator fire in the distance, and that of projectiles as they whizzed through the air nearby her. Morinth got herself behind a broken-off piece of the crashed ship which looked like part of a hull. As she did, Morinth could see four mechs emerging from the dust. Two came in down a hill on her 2, and two on the ground walking towards her at her 10. This hull had her covered from both.

She focused first on the two mechs on the hill, getting up and shooting off their armor. It was getting faster to her now; Morinth shot off their heavy-armor plating quickly and toppled them over with her biotics before the mechs could breach her shield. She got down and dislodged a heat-sink from her rifle, then getting back up to finish the mechs overhead.

Just then, she felt her barrier taking fire while she was in cover. A couple mechs were approaching her – from behind. Under duress, she slid over to the right side again, just barely clearing the line-of-fire of the mechs behind her. At that moment, she heard the sound of a couple more of them powering up from the atop the hill where she killed the last two mechs. This was getting crazy. Morinth was in rhythm, the motions were becoming automatic to her and she followed through with them faster every time. But wasn’t sure how she could keep this up while getting swarmed left-and-right.

Finally, another ten mechs later, she caught a break. Morinth figured it was safe to move up ahead now and moved up ahead hurriedly, also picking up heat-sinks dropped by the mechs along the way. That sandstorm had only gotten worse; she could now only see half way down the path she could see before a few minutes ago. Garrus? Shepard? Nowhere to be found. Morinth was now beginning to imagine the worst. Had they abandoned her here? Was this the true punishment that Shepard wanted her to suffer – alone on a desolate planet, left for dead at the hands of hostile mechs? She couldn’t imagine the mechs got to them somewhere behind her and killed them, not if she had survived this long alone without help. Whatever happened to them, she had to keep pushing her way down to where she’d seen the shuttle last.

Hearing gunfire in her general direction again, Morinth hustled up to a round, waist-high piece of the damaged ship debris, which looked like part of an engine turbine. She peered out of cover to scan area in front. Two-by-two, more mechs slowly appeared out of the curtain of sand ahead of her: two, then six, then about 14 or so. Then, she lost count completely.

This is it, she thought; no way I’m surviving this. A platoon of armored mechs closing in, fast. “Bend, but do not break,” Shepard had told her. Maybe there was more to that than just strategy – perhaps it was also about mentality. At least that sounded nice. Morinth didn’t know if she’d survive this, but she was going to give it her all. Morinth looked down at the ground, taking a deep breath and collecting herself.

Next, she stood out of her cover and fired at the mechs doggedly. A lot of fire came her way, but she stayed focused on the nearest target. Busting the armor plating off of it, she got back in cover as he barrier dropped. Once recharged, she got up and targeted the unarmored mech’s partner – stripping off its protective layer – and then hurled them both backwards before finishing them. Okay. Two down. Twenty(?) more to go. She counted three more times that she completed the process: target nearest pair of mechs, shoot the armored plates off of both, topple them with biotics, finish them, rinse and repeat (and get in cover between steps to recharge shields, as necessary).

With eight down, another sixteen were still headed her way. Four of them were getting dangerously close. Morinth casted a shockwave in their direction to shunt their progress and gunfire before abandoning her position, moving to cover against a small rock a few feet behind her. Bend, but do not break. And stay in rhythm. She kept at what she was doing before but dialed up the tempo progressively. Now she was on cruise-control, going through the motions rapidly and efficiently without even giving it much thought. Those four mechs were encroaching on her were dead before she knew it and then she’d already dropped another four of them further away. There were only a handful left.

Out in the distance, another vaguely-mechanical noise not quite like the other mechs’ had grown louder. As that distant sound grew closer, Morinth felt the ground shaking beneath her with increasingly more impact. It could only be one thing: heavy mech. If there were any doubt, a rocket came flying out from the cloud of sand in front of her, hitting the rock she was crouched behind. It didn’t do much damage to her cover, but its area-of-effect did damage her barrier a bit.

Undeterred, she kept her focus on the remaining eight mechs, now taking out up to four at a time. Less than a minute later, she was done. Then came the heavy, which she could now see emerging from the dust with another four smaller mechs. Still in her rhythm, she got back to work against the little ones. BAM-BAM-BAM, BAM-BAM-BAM, *swoosh* BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM! Repeat. BAM-BAM-BAM, BAM-BAM-BAM, *swoosh* BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM! LOKIs down, just the YMIR remained.

Morinth got up to shoot it but the heavy’s insane machine-gun arm took out her shields in about two seconds. She got back in cover promptly and noticed  some purple splatter on her rifle. It was blood from her shoulder. Weird. She hadn’t even felt it, too focused in the heat of the fight. Once she heard a break in the machine-gun fire, she got up and shot the mech rapidly. Just then, it fired another rocket. Morinth ducked to avoid the blast. Once she was clear, Morinth tried again, but the heavy soon blew more rounds from its machine-gun at her. Tough bastard. Morinth tried firing blindly out of her cover, shooting without exposing herself. Not ill-advised, given how large a target it was. Once she heard that break in its fire again she got back up and got off as many shots as she could, until her rifle started clicking without firing. Oh, no. She was out of ammo.

For her rifle, at least. She still had her sidearm, a Phalanx. Up to now, she’d done a good job conserving shots, making them counting, and picking up thermal-clips along the way. Now a pistol’s 24 shots were all she had left. The heavy mech readied to fire off another missile in her direction. Morinth cast a biotic power on it – dark channel, a continual biotic effect that drained the life out of her target. She needed to keep the damage going against the ‘heavy’s shields, or they would recharge.

After the mech cycled through its machine-gun fire again, Morinth got up and shot it repeatedly with the Phalanx. One of her shots staggered the mech’s slow forward march towards her, also causing a little flash of blue around the armor – the shields were down. Now, she just had to pierce the armor, which her Phalanx exceled at. She had only 16 shots to get it done, though. In the meantime, her destructive biotics were doing an admirable job whittling-down the mech’s protective layers.

Morinth cast a warp-field on the mech’s armor and then kept shooting the armor. She’d have to wait for it to complete another cycle on the machine-gun. When it did, she got up and hurriedly shot the mech, trying to breach the armor plating completely just before it could fire the rocket. But she stayed out of cover too long trying to strip its armor, and ducked a little too late as the rocket hit her cover. Her barrier was breached, and the ‘heavy was breathing down her neck standing just a few feet short of her position. Its armor plating was gone, though, but with only two shots left from her pistol.

Then she felt a shot of pain in her arm – two light mechs on her 9, just barely putting her in their line-of-fire. Morinth blindly cast a biotic throw-projectile behind her to trip the heavy-mech. The ‘heavy fell over clumsily and Morinth readjusted her position in cover. The light mechs were now on her 12, the heavy at her 3. Morinth waited for her shields to recharge, in which time, the heavy got back on its feet. Morinth fired her last two shots at it and then froze it in a stasis-field, then started running upfield, just out of range for the light mechs to accurately fire on her. Morinth fumbled for a few loose thermal-clips on the ground as she ran. As the stasis-field’s hold on the heavy broke, it again fell over awkwardly, in which time Morinth cast a warp-field and turned back to fire at it with her pistol.

Finally, the YMIR took fatal damage and exploded, also taking out the two LOKIs on her tail.

Morinth thought she should have felt excited and triumphant, singlehandedly taking out that fiendish heavy-mech and a couple lighter ones very close to killing her. But she was not. It ain’t over ‘til it’s over, as Shepard said on the last mission. And she was still in trouble with no clear light at the end of the tunnel. Then, out in the distance, she finally spotted the Kodiak shuttle. It was still there! Good to know her fear of being left for dead was just that: fear. Still, she hadn’t seen Garrus or Shepard since Shepard ordered her to go back to the shuttle. Where were they??

Morinth took cover behind another piece of debris from the crashed ship. The sandstorm had died down, but now she could see more than she wanted to – an _army_ of countless light-mechs coming down on her from the hills surrounding her final destination. There must have been near-on a hundred of them altogether. Morinth waited for her barrier to recharge and then ran from cover to cover, inching closer to the shuttle. Finally, with nowhere else safe to hide, Morinth made a mad dash for it, shooting her pistol on the run at a few nearby mechs before finally reaching the Kodiak.

 

* * *

 

Morinth got inside the Kodiak, panting. Bleeding, she applied medi-gel to her wounds – one on the arm, the other on the shoulder. Shepard and Garrus weren’t here. Morinth wasn’t sure if she should wait, or if they didn’t make it. There was a radio in the shuttle that should have allowed her to contact them. Just as she activated it, the shuttle hatch opened and Shepard and Garrus walked in.

“Well now,” said Shepard, “nice little taste of the robot-apocalypse, wasn’t it?”

“What?” Morinth reacted in disbelief. “Where were you??”

“Following you from behind,” Shepard replied. “I see you’ve applied medi-gel to your wounds.”

“But I didn’t see you,” said Morinth.

“Well yeah,” Shepard answered, “that was the point. Here, sit down. Garrus, radio the Normandy for pickup.”

Morinth took a seat on the shuttle bench. “You set this all up?” she asked, dumbfounded.

“The crashed ship and army of mechs? No. Sending you back to fend them off, solo, however… yes.”

Morinth was speechless for a few moments. Shepard knowingly put her through all that hell.

“… why??” she finally managed.

“Think of those mechs that were shooting at you. Imagine that they were turian and batarian pirates and raiders from the ‘Terminus. Now, multiply them by ten. Now, imagine no shuttle to save you for another four hours. No, five, actually. That was the Skyllian Blitz. I was there, and it was a defining moment of my life. What I found there has stayed with me ever since, and it’s what I hope you have found from this experience here, as well.” Not expecting Morinth to know what he’d meant, Shepard leaned forward. “With an unwavering will to survive, you can do more than you _ever_ imagined, and can accomplish just about anything.”

“Shepard, I could have died there!”

“Nonsense,” he responded. “I don’t just abandon my squad. I’ve made an investment in you, not to just throw you away now. You were under our watch the whole time. Garrus told me to stop a couple times when you seemed to be getting overwhelmed, but I held off because I thought you could still pull through without us. And you did; you should be proud of what you’ve done here. All of us have earned our place on the Normandy, Morinth – all of us. And today, you’ve rightfully earned your place as well.”

“Welcome to the team, Morinth,” said Garrus.

“I – … I don’t know what to say,” Morinth responded, still palpably shaken.

“When we get back, go to the med-bay and get patched up,” said Shepard. “But I think you’re now truly ready for what’s ahead.”

Morinth was in shock from both surviving the whole ordeal and then finding out it was all a trial. He threw her to the predators, only to get her to realize her inner survivalist. Knowing she’d “passed the test,” though, and the fact Shepard spoke proudly of what she’d done made all of that seem worth it. And he was right – that adversity brought out the best of her, which was even better than Morinth thought herself capable of.

Part of her still wanted to strangle him for doing that to her. But for the most part, Morinth felt good, and was glad to have achieved what she did just moments ago. He was a hard man to read, but he seemed to look at her with approval. And – though she wasn’t sure why it mattered to her – she wondered if mother was watching now, and if she would be as proud of what she had done.


	5. The Long Walk.

Taking a seat next to Morinth, in her usual place on the observatory deck couch, Shepard sat down and lounged comfortably.

“Looks like you’ve just about recovered from your injuries down there on Neith,” he said.

“Yup; I’ll be ready for action again very soon,” said Morinth eagerly.

“Good. How’s the Xettidane working for you?” he asked.

“It’s alright,” she replied neutrally. “It helps the cravings die down a little. It also fights the ‘feeding’ urges too, but both are still pretty difficult.”

“Quitting is hell,” Shepard affirmed. “You just have to take it day-by-day. Every night you go to sleep without relapsing during the day, that’s something to be proud of. It’s a victory. Just remember, tomorrow will be easier than the day before it.”

"Is it really?" she asked skeptically.

"To an extent," Shepard admitted. "Addiction is always a mental battle, though. You need to keep telling yourself things that keep you going. Just remember: quitting is not just a decision you make one day, it's a decision you make _everyday_."

“I guess so,” said Morinth. “It’s worst when I’m lonely, though, so I’m glad you’re here now. Talking to you is a good distraction.”

“Of course,” said Shepard. “You’re one of my own. If you ever need it, you just come to me. Anyway, I came here to talk for a bit, something I’d like to ask you.” Shepard adjusted his position in his seat a bit. “If you didn’t have your condition, how would life be different?”

“Hmm,” Morinth murmured. “That’s an interesting question. After I found out about my condition, I knew I’d have to live with it forever and never imagined my life without it.” Morinth fell silent for a few moments, then, pondering.

“Well, I spent my ‘maiden’ years the same as most asari, anyway - some mercenary work, lots of clubbing and dancing. I’m 400-something now, meaning I should be hitting my ‘matron stage’ soon, though I’m not sure if it’s the same for me as it is for other asari. I never really considered doing anything differently because I never thought it was an option. I still wish I could find a meaningful relationship, someone to share my life with who values me for me.”

“Any career aspirations?” asked Shepard.

“In my schooling years, I was a pretty good athlete. Biotiball was my sport. When I was really young, I dreamed of being a star professional player. When I grew older I was interested in training to become an asari Huntress. I was even interested in becoming a Justicar at one point. That was before mother became one herself to try to hunt me, which showed me what they are really like.”

“You could still train to do either of those things,” Shepard pointed out.

“No I can’t,” Morinth responded. “I’m still a fugitive from asari law, and other species won’t act too kindly to me if they know what I have done.”

“You say it like fake identities don’t exist,” Shepard came back.

“I _did_ change my name after leaving Thessia. ‘Morinth’ is just a pseudonym.”

“Oh,” said Shepard. “Huh, I didn’t realize that. What was your born name?”

“-Mirala,” she said, hesitantly.

“Mirala," he repeated. "Hmm, I like that name. 'Sounds pretty.”

“Maybe,” Morinth ceded, “but I can’t use it, since I’m registered as a runaway under that name. And besides, mother gave me that name.”

“She didn’t call you that when she confronted you,” Shepard said in realization.

“Of course she didn’t,” Morinth replied contemptuously. “She didn’t even want to accept the fact that she was my mother; you saw that. I’m sure dehumanizing me like that helped soothe her soul about killing me.”

“At least she was consistent on one thing,” said Shepard. “I spoke with her a couple times, and I remember her saying something down the lines of, ‘if I have to kill a man, do I really want to know that he’s a loving father?’ ”

Morinth shook her head. “You see what she was, though,” she said.

“If it were an option, would you want to return to Thessia?”

“No,” Morinth responded promptly. “I don’t look back at that time in my life happily. It wasn’t all bad, but it just wasn’t what I’d call ‘good,’ and I’m not sorry to have to leave it. I don’t really see Thessia as home. But I do want to see my sisters again someday. They’re not on Thessia, though. They’re in a monastery on an asari colony called Lessus.”

“You never told me about your sisters.” said Shepard.

“I didn’t? Oh. Well, it’s true. I have two sisters, and they’re both Ardat Yakshi. And like I said, they both live in a monastery.”

“Why didn’t they resist, like you did?” asked Shepard.

“They were closer to mother than I ever was,” Morinth explained, “and accepted her teachings better than I did. It wasn’t easy for them either, though, having to live in seclusion for their lives. I guess my decision to run away was more than just my rejection of living in a monastery. It was also a rejection of mother.”

“I see,” said Shepard, who sat silently for a few moments and then got up. “Sorry to cut this short, but I’ve got some other business to attend to. I’m very happy to see you’re recovering, and staying clean. Our final mission is drawing closer by the day.”

“I’ll be ready. Thanks for coming by, Shepard.”

 

* * *

 

The exit door was only a few steps away, but the squad wasn’t through the chamber yet, engaged with Collector reinforcements that appeared on their tail only moments ago. She kept the barrier up while inching painstaking steps forward, but could feel her grip over the shield slipping away. It was only a matter of seconds before it came down completely. Not enough time, they were still vulnerable and would die if that happened now.

And mother would be right.

_“You will regret your decision.”_

No. He won’t.

Unable to maintain the protective sphere a second longer, Morinth turned around, determinedly channeling every last bit of that biotic energy into a massive shockwave that traveled down the path behind them – landing a crippling blow to every Collector in its wake. All nearby seekers were killed. Morinth turned back to the exit door as the squad hurried through, following them and gasping for air a few times. Shorn of her biotic energy, she felt her head throbbing and the muscles burning through her whole body, fatigued and sore. The door sealed shut behind her, and Morinth felt a firm pat on the back as she walked by Shepard.

A simple gesture, but coming from him, a very humbling one.

 

* * *

 


	6. Saying Goodbye to a Friend.

Looking down at her battle-scarred Mattock both fondly and forlornly, Morinth stowed the rifle back into the armory locker. Stained with purple spots from her own blood and engraved at the side in memory of her only family members, this weapon symbolized an epic experience in her life. But it was over now.

Shortly after the suicide-mission was completed, Shepard had secretly assisted the Alliance on a covert mission in batarian space concerning a Reaper artifact, which confirmed their imminent arrival. However, drastic actions taken by Shepard to slow their approach now had the Alliance brass uncomfortably calling for his arrest. Shepard delayed it for a while, finding as many new assignments for their team to undertake as possible, but the day had now come for Shepard to turn himself in, and for the team to go their separate ways.

So, Morinth was now a hero. A savior, in fact, to every human in the galaxy. It was a very strange feeling. At 40, she was just a child when declared a fugitive from the law. As an Ardat Yakshi, she bore the worst stigma imaginable of a pureblood asari. And having chosen to live a sexually-active lifestyle, she became a wanted killer. She had been called a ‘monster’ by everyone who knew of her, including her own mother. But now, despite the fact that many would never know what she’d done, the fact remained that she just helped Cerberus save billions of lives from the Collector menace. Nobody could take that away from her now, and it felt good. While she was motivated in part to spite her mother, Morinth felt even Samara would be proud of her for how she helped Shepard on his mission, and that gave her a weird sense of satisfaction. Mother’s approval shouldn’t have mattered to her, she thought, but it did.

A lot of things seemed different to her now, since the end of that mission. What that meant for her, she wasn’t certain. Just as Morinth placed her Phalanx pistol back into the weapons locker, Shepard came walking in.

“Morinth, I was looking for you.”

“Hey, Shepard,” she said with a smile, though her expression soon turned to one more serious. “So… I guess this is it?”

“Well, I hate to say it, but yes.”

Morinth nodded a bit and looked down at the floor, disappointed.

“So what’s next for you?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” she said. “I’m really not sure what to do with myself now that the mission is over. And with the team breaking up, I’m kind of on my own again.”

“Yeah.” said Shepard. “And I think both you and I know that’s the worst thing that can happen right now. You need something or someone to keep you out of trouble.”

“What are you suggesting?” she asked him.

“See me at the Presidium Embassies when we dock,” he said. “I’ll tell you more when we’re there.”

Shepard turned around and walked out of the armory. No goodbye? Strange. It seemed like he wasn’t done with her yet.

 

* * *

 

As the elevator doors opened, Morinth arrived at the embassies on the Citadel. She, and the rest of the Normandy team had a pass to board the station courtesy Shepard’s Spectre authority. That was fortunate for her, as Morinth may not have been able to pass C-Sec clearance otherwise. Shepard was waiting for her just outside the lift.

“Morinth,” he said, “follow me. This will be quick.” Morinth followed along as Shepard led her down a hall to the right side of the lobby. From there, they walked half-way down to a door which was unmarked save for the Spectre logo on the sign hanging from the wall. Shepard tagged the console in the center of the door, as he walked in the office, a VI chimed in over the speaker in a vaguely salarian voice: “Shepard. Human. Spectre status recognized.”

Shepard led her over to a computer terminal where he logged himself in. On the wall in front of her, there were numerous display screens active with different programs. Morinth couldn’t imagine what kind of intel and resources where at the Spectres’ disposal here. Just over to the side, there was a quantum-entanglement communicator, and to the other, a door to what looked like a firing-range. So, thought Morinth, this is the Spectre office on the Citadel. It was extraordinary, incredibly advanced stuff all around her, though she wondered why Shepard had brought her here.

“Alright,” said Shepard, bringing up Morinth C-Sec record on the screen just in front of them. “C-Sec doesn’t have any criminal charges against you, but they do know you’re a fugitive from the law of Thessia and would arrest you. That changes today, though. I’m invoking Spectre authority to clear you from arrest on this station.”

“Really?” asked Morinth. “What does that mean for me, exactly?”

“It means, they can’t touch you here for now – not C-Sec, not even law-enforcement from Thessia. My legal authority supersedes theirs around here. Only the Council can overrule me on this, but I should doubt they’ll see this matter as one being worth their time – they hardly budged for stopping Saren.”

“What about outside the Citadel?” she asked.

“No. Your legal clearance only applies here. If you go back to Thessia, they _will_ have the power to arrest you there. I should add: if I find C-Sec has filed compelling criminal charges against you as of this date, or if I otherwise find out that you’re up to no good, well… let’s just say there won’t be a third-chance.”

“I understand,” said Morinth. “Completely.”

“… Good,” said Shepard. “Lastly, in addition to C-Sec, the Citadel has its own defense fleet and militia in the event of an emergency like Sovereign’s attack. We both happen to know that this is just the calm before the storm. Harbinger is coming, and it’s going to be bad _everywhere_.”

“That in mind, we need everyone to do their part – especially those who can fight. So, I’m volunteering you for Citadel militia. They’ll provide you with housing, food, decent pay, and other benefits. And it’ll give you a chance to further hone your skills. You’ve got a lot of talent as a soldier and I want you to keep working at it. In truth, you may be overqualified for where I’m sending you now. That’s okay for now, though, just focus on being ready for the war and improving your craft. I think you’ll be surprised at the opportunities you might find when it’s all over.”

“You really think we’re going to win?” Morinth asked incredulously.

“Well I _know_ that we will fail if people lose hope,” Shepard replied. “So long as any of us are still alive, we have to believe there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. I taught you how that survival-instinct within all of else brings out our very best in the face of crisis, and for that reason, we must keep hope alive. Never let them break our will.”

“… Apart from the volunteer role I’m giving you, you’ll also have a councilor meeting with you weekly, 1-on-1, for narcotics addiction. Dr. Chakwas said that the symptoms you suffer from your condition are akin to those of drug withdrawal. She thinks that they can be treated similarly, and you yourself said that the anti-addictive medications she prescribed you helped curb your cravings, on both fronts.”

“That’s it, Morinth. I’ve done everything I can to help, but now it’s all up to you to decide what direction you’re going to take your life.” Shepard logged out and started walking out the office with Morinth. “You have my contact information.”

“I do,” said Morinth, as they walked out of the office and back to the embassies’ lobby, “but won’t you be locked up?”

“True,” said Shepard. “The whole thing is a farce, though. I’m all but counting on the Reapers to break me out of there – literally or figuratively.”

“How long is it going to be until they show up?” she asked.

“Unknown,” Shepard replied, “but no more than a year and a half, and no less than a couple months. We’ll be back in contact, soon. Count on it.”

“Good,” said Morinth, as the two of them approached the elevator. “Stay safe, Commander. I’ll… I’m going to miss you.”

“Likewise,” he said sincerely. “You’ve made me proud, Morinth.” Morinth felt herself tearing up. Dammit, she thought. She knew saying goodbye wouldn’t be easy, but she had no idea it would become this emotional for her.

“How about a hug?” he asked.

Morinth smiled through her teary eyes and accepted his warm embrace, holding him tightly.

“Sorry,” she said, apologizing as she wiped a few tears away. “Sorry, it’s just- … this is hard. You’re the only friend I’ve made in years.”

“We’ll see each other again,” he reassured her. “I’m sure of it.” He let go of her and put a hand on her shoulder. “Until then, know that your friend is still rooting for you out there.”

“Thanks, Shepard.” She struggled a bit to get the words out: “ _So long_ …”

“Goodbye, Morinth.”

Shepard turned around and headed into the elevator for the docking-bay. He waved, and she waved back, as the elevator doors closed between them. Morinth bowed her head in realization: that was it. He’s gone.


	7. Reunion.

[Six months later: the Reapers have invaded Earth just days ago; Shepard is able to evacuate and is predictably reinstated by Admirals Anderson and Hackett back into the Alliance to assist them in the war efforts against the Reaper threat.]

A couple days after returning to the Normandy, Shepard received the following message at his private terminal:  
  


> From: Morinth  
>  Subject: Visit Me at the Citadel?
> 
> Hey, Shepard:
> 
> I heard about the attack on Earth; I’m glad you made it out alright (not that I’m surprised). I’m still on the Citadel, so if you’re ever around, I’d love to meet up with you again sometime. You can usually find me on the Presidium, nearby my apartment. Some interesting stuff has happened to me since you left for the Alliance, though I can tell you more whenever you come by.
> 
> Make it soon, though. I ship out in about a week.
> 
> \- Morinth

  
As it happened, Shepard was planning to go to the Citadel in a couple days, and otherwise anticipated to make frequent stops on the station. He’d certainly go to visit his old teammate, and friend. In that, he was curious to know how she was doing and what she was up to now.

 

* * *

 

At the Presidium commons on the Citadel, Shepard spotted Morinth at a table just outside Apollo’s Café. Taking her by surprise, he walked up and placed and hand on her shoulder. Morinth turned her head to see who it was.

“Morinth," he said. "Long time no see.”

“Shepard!” she responded, getting up from her seat. “Wow, it’s so good to see you.” They shared a hug.

“I got your e-mail. How are things with you these days?”

“Yeah,” said Morinth eagerly. “I was going to tell you. After you volunteered me with the Citadel militia, I reported for training a couple days later and kept at it for a month. You were right, though: I was overqualified. I passed their basic training program without a problem; it was all too easy, but what I didn’t know was that we were being trained by a few Spectres.”

“Really?” Shepard asked.

“My skills caught the attention of an asari Spectre, Leira Lymaes, and she recruited me to join a small team working under her. I found out from her that the Council knew the Reapers were coming, so they made some preparations in advance by putting the Citadel fleets, militia, and even C-Sec personnel together as a defense-force. Then they sent some of their Spectres to train the militia and other civilian volunteers.”

“Oh,” Shepard reacted, surprised. “Well, that’s great! What kind of work has she had you doing?”

“It’s all been Reaper-related,” Morinth replied. “We did some recon on a colony in batarian space just as they arrived. The way they all just poured in was overwhelming. They dropped in so many human husks all over the place and took over every planet by force, uncontested. Leira later found out that their people's officials were indoctrinated before they arrived and didn’t even try to challenge them. Fortunately, we were able to get out of there safely and Leira reported our findings to the council.”

“So now what?” he asked.

“Now, Councilor Tevos and Asari High Command want us to hang back and guard our people’s borders.”

“They better be ready to throw their support behind the Alliance,” Shepard remarked. “We’ll need every damn soul in this galaxy helping us out once we’re ready with… our plan.”

“I heard about your plan,” said Morinth furtively. “Leira found out through the Council. Still, Tevos and our government just want to make sure our planets stay intact before then.”

“Understanable," Shepard ceded. "So, how are other things?”

“I’m staying clean,” said Morinth. “It’s difficult, but I keep myself distracted with my work and relationships, just as I did before with you. I had to take a physical before working with Leira. She knows about my condition and is having me treated for the symptoms. I think she knows about the pardon you issued me, and because of that, is willing to overlook the fact that I’m technically not supposed to be out here.”

“Oh, and I’ve also kept in touch with some of the old team! I still talk to Jack, Grunt, and Zaeed every now and then.”

Shepard grinned a bit, admiringly. This Morinth was a different person now, not much anything like the one he recruited from Omega: shady, immature, and unapologetically self-centered. It seemed like her life was in order and she was serious about changing. He could hear it from the way she spoke - humbled, but upbeat and contagiously positive.

“That all sounds great,” said Shepard. “I’m glad to hear things are working out for you.”

“Yeah,” said Morinth. “I’m actually useful these days, and it's satisfying to me. But I owe it to you for setting me on this path.”

“Maybe,” said Shepard, “but only you decide what to do with what I’ve given you. And you have my approval – you’re doing really well.”

“Thanks, that means a lot to me.”

Shepard and Morinth got up and embraced each other one last time before he left for the Normandy.

“Let’s keep in touch,” Morinth suggested. “It’s been way too long.”

“Of course. Take care of yourself, Morinth.”

“You too, Shepard.”


	8. Rescue at the Monastery.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The premise of this chapter is largely what inspired the whole story I’m writing: Morinth’s cameo in ME3 that never was. Grant it, the cameo I envisioned for her in the game is not as complex as what I’ve written here (e.g. – existence of “original character”), but there are some general ideas in this chapter to be worked with for a supposed appearance in the game (e.g. – Morinth’s dialogue).
> 
> I have also altered a few details on the mission itself away from the in-game canon to something friendlier to a written work of fiction.

[4 weeks later: after the events of the attempted Citadel coup by Cerberus]

Shepard checked his private terminal for extranet mail. Among a few new messages, one in particular caught his eye.  
  


> From: [Sender Blocked]  
>  Subject: Urgent Message
> 
> Commander Shepard,
> 
> This is Leira Lymaes; you may know me as the Spectre working with Morinth.
> 
> I am sure you are very busy between your duties to the Alliance and the Council, but I assure you, this matter is important to the war. The Reapers have taken a few asari colonies and our team has uncovered some disturbing developments on them as they advance further.
> 
> Now, I am formally requesting your help. That’s all I can say here. Please meet with me at the Spectre offices at your earliest convenience.
> 
> -  Leira Lymaes, Citadel Special Tactics & Recon
> 
>  

* * *

 

After tagging the door’s center console, Shepard walked into the Spectre office, where he was met by an asari he presumed was Leira. “Commander Shepard,” she said, “thanks for your time. Leira Lymaes. As I said in the message I sent, my team and I uncovered something troubling as the Reapers have entered asari space.”

“What’s the situation?” asked Shepard.

“While our team was tracking the movements of the enemy fleet as they entered our border, we noticed a strange trend. Upon their invasion in any given asari colony, Reaper activity was particularly high in the location of an Ardat Yakshi monastery, if present in the colony. Further investigation reveals that they’ve been using the monasteries to set up their harvesting camps.”

“We haven’t gotten far enough inside to see exactly what they’ve been doing to the victims – too dangerous to get a closer look. That’s why I’ve turned to you for help, Commander; you’re a fellow Spectre and give us the best chance against the Reapers.”

“Sounds important,” said Shepard, “but what are you planning to do, exactly?” Lymaes dialed something in on a nearby computer terminal. An image of what appeared to be a colony world appeared on the visual display screen in front of them.

“Outside of Thessia, the only remaining monastery of note is in one of our colonies on the planet Lessus. The Reapers just made it there recently, but if we get in quick, we can contain the situation and get to the bottom of what they’re doing before it gets out of hand. Of course, if the Reapers are using it, then we can’t let them have it either.”

“So how do you suggest we deal with that?” he asked.

“Asari High Command already sent commandos to the facility with explosives to blow the place up,” Leira replied. “However, though they did get the bomb somewhere inside, their teams were annihilated when the Reapers arrived and never set it off. After that, they sent in more commando units, but all of them were slaughtered by the enemy. If we get in and make it past the Reapers, it’s our responsibility to set it off.”

“Unfortunate for the residents,” said Shepard, “but probably necessary. If I remember right, though, Morinth has sisters on that colony.”

“She told me as much,” said Leira. “I’ll have her with me as well. With her prior experience, Morinth has been invaluable to me at fighting the Reapers. As for survivors, we’ll do our best to evacuate who we can, but that’s not our priority.”

“Then let’s get it done,” said Shepard. “I’ve got some time to spare, as it happens.”

“Excellent. We’ll rendezvous with you there, Commander.”

 

* * *

 

As they touched down in front of the monastery entrance, Shepard, Garrus, and James emerged from the shuttle and were met by Morinth and the asari Spectre standing next to a red skycar.

“Shepard,” said Morinth promptly. “I’m glad you made it. Things… don’t look good in there.”

“Heavy Reaper presence,” Leira explained. “We cleared the first room, but it was ugly. So we decided to hold back until you arrived.”

“Did you learn anything new since arriving?” asked Shepard.

“Well, we heard some terrible screams coming from somewhere inside,” said Leira. “Not like those of victims being taken away or anything, but more like we’re facing a new creation of Reaper monsters. Other than that, nothing.”

“Okay, weird…” said Shepard. “I guess we’ll find out more as we go. Let’s move.”

“Right, Commander. We’ll follow your lead,” said Leira.

Shepard activated the console on the entrance door to the monastery. As the door opened, they found that the inside of the entryway was dark and the elevator was out. There was a platform across from them with a ladder leading down the elevator’s path.

“The elevator was out when we had gotten here,” Leira explained. “We had to jump across and take the ladder down, ourselves.” Shepard took note and jumped over to the small platform, then slid down the ladder.

Once down to the bottom on another platform, Shepard jumped across and into the main-floor lobby, also dark. Shepard activated his omnitool flashlight to get a look at his surroundings. There were bodies of dead Reapers and dead asari in the black commando uniform.

“Morinth and I had to fight a few of these things – Cannibals and Marauders – in the dark,” Leira whispered. Just then, there was a distant scream in the background.

“Sounds close,” said Garrus. A few moments later, the last scream was accompanied by another one. “And, it has friends.”

Shepard moved on forward and then spotted something on the floor near a door to the right. He looked down and examined it – the body of a dead asari commando, and a datapad. James picked up the datapad and took a look.

“It’s got a map with a NavPoint location for the bomb: the Great Hall,” said James. “I’m guessing that’s the heart of the monastery.”

“Then that’s where we go,” Shepard declared.

“Leira,” said Morinth, “what about my sisters? They could still be alive.”

“We’ll clear the blast-zone of any survivors we find,” said Leira, “but be prepared for the worst, Morinth. It may already be too late for them.”

Morinth said nothing, but responded with a very discomforted look. Shepard took the door ahead and moved along into a room with a balcony in front of them and a door to the left. “Our map marks two paths to the Great Hall,” said Leira. “Let’s split up and go opposite routes to keep the enemy off balance, divide-and-conquer. You can take the door on your left.” She dialed something on her omnitool. “There, I have you patched in over radio.”

“Roger that,” said Shepard. “Wait. Where’s the-” Before he could finish, Leira had jumped off the balcony to the floor below them, using biotics to deafen her fall. Morinth followed along in kind. “Okay… got it.” He then turned his attention to James and Garrus. “So we’ll be heading through that door; it leads us outside, down one level, and then back indoors.”

“Aye Commander,” said James. James and Shepard moved ahead with Garrus behind them, sniper-rifle equipped. As the door opened, they found themselves atop a staircase leading down to a courtyard. The yard overlooked a breathtaking view of the mountains, painted white with snow and a light layer of fog at the top.

“Damn,” said James, admiring the scene a bit. “This is a nice place.”

“A nice place to visit,” Shepard remarked, “but I wouldn’t want to livet here, as the saying goes. Confinement in a resort is still confinement.”

“It’s actually almost like a fortress,” Garrus commented, “distant and defensible. I bet the asari believed their monastery was safe from the war.” As they reached the bottom, a distant screech permeated the air.

The three of them took cover behind the courtyard’s many raised-bed bushes with their weapons ready when they spotted it: a Reaper-corrupted asari. They had no name for the new creature, but given the featured scream, there was only one appropriate thing to call it.

“Banshee!” James declared.

The Banshee teleported biotically towards them as it drew fire from the party. It stopped just shy of Shepard before its biotics dropped. Shepard debuffed its armor-plated skin with a Warp attack and finished it off with two shotgun blasts in the gut. As it died, the Banshee shriveled up as its body quickly decomposed into black ashes. The three of them stood over its body, examining the strange phenomenon.

“Well that’s new,” James commented.

“Yeah,” said Garrus. “It would actually be nice if all Reapers did that when they died.”

“It has to be some kind of defense-mechanism,” said Shepard. “Husk design has obvious psychological value in demoralizing the opponent. The Reapers must be safeguarding something in its design. At least, that’s the only reason I can think of for them to make it self-destruct upon death.”

“What could be learned from studying one of these things?” Garrus asked skeptically.

“Reaper-augmented Ardat Yakshi DNA?” Shepard replied. “Studying the genetic code itself could tell us why Ardat Yakshi are more powerful biotics than the average asari, now imagine that innate power combined with Reaper upgrades… !”

Shepard heard Leira’s voice over radio. “Commander, I heard those screams again and gunfire coming from outside. Status?”

“New Reaper enemy,” Shepard reported. “Asari victim. Towering height. High durability.”

“Offensive capabilities?” Leira queried.

“Unknown, my squad and I dealt with it quickly.”

“Good. ‘Just a few human husks and Cannibals in our way so far. Our paths converge when you’re back inside; see you there.”

“Got it.”

There was a door back inside the Monastery on the opposite side of the courtyard. Before Shepard and the squad reached it, a handful of Cannibals crawled in from ventilation grates on the side of the wall. Shepard and James put away their shotguns in favor of assault-rifles as the three of them picked off the Reaper-corrupted batarians from range. Once the enemies were put down, Shepard approached the door and bypassed the lock in the center console.

Immediately as it opened, they found an asari on the run from a Cannibal.

 

* * *

 

Just before Shepard could make a move, the Cannibal was tossed from behind biotically and executed by a gunshot in the back. Morinth and Leira then appeared from the other side, holstering their pistols. Shepard met up with them and then turned his attention to the asari civilian they had encountered, who looked at the other two asari strangely - squinting her eyes in disbelief.

“… Mirala?!”

It was one of Morinth’s sisters.

“Falere,” Morinth replied nervously.

“What… what are you doing here!” she asked, as her tone quickly changed from shock to suspicion.

“We’re here to rescue you, Falere” said Morinth.

“Yes,” said Leira, “we need you evacuated. This monastery is now a front for Reaper activity.”

“I know,” Falere replied bitterly, “I’ve seen what they’ve done to the others. Mirala, why are you here? Where is mother?”

“You… you didn’t read my messages?”

“I didn’t get any,” said Falere. “… our superintendent must have deleted them from her extranet filters. Do you know something??”

Morinth looked at Shepard uncomfortably and replied, “Samara joined Commander Shepard on a dangerous operation and…”

“- She didn’t make it,” said Shepard, looking at Falere. “It’s true; I recruited her for a mission to attack the Collectors – a Reaper proxy – and we took some casualties along the way: your mother included.”

“What? Oh, Goddess!” Falere gasped.

“I’m sorry,” said Shepard. “Your mother believed in justice and died pursuing what she believed in.”

“Goddess, this is horrible news.” She then looked up at the two of them, suspicious again. “But that doesn’t answer my question. Why are you here now, Mirala? And why are _you_ with her? Didn’t Samara tell you about her daughter?”

“Yes,” said Shepard, carefully choosing his words, “I picked up Samara’s lead on Morinth as a Spectre and apprehended her on Omega, but did not deem her the threat that your mother had, so I let her go, conditionally.”

“What! How can you say that?” she asked. “Do you have any idea how many she killed??”

“Do you have any idea how many I killed?” Shepard countered. “Turns out, it’s gonna take a few ‘killers’ to get you out of here, kid.”

Falere turned her attention now to Morinth and glowered. “Morinth. Is that what you call yourself now? Well whoever you are, I hope you’re happy, because mother - my mother - is _dead_ because of you!”

“Falere-”

“Mother would have never become a Justicar in the first place if you hadn’t run away,” she continued, growing more severe. “You’re the reason Rila and I lost her the first time, and you’re the reason why she’s gone now!! … But what’s another person’s death to you, anyway?”

“I-” said Morinth, hurt, and a bit embarrassed, though she knew why Falere was angry. “I know deserve that, but please, just-”

“-But you don’t,” Shepard interrupted. “Falere, Morinth is here to save your life with the rest of us. If you don’t approve, we can leave you behind for the Reaper predators and quite frankly, it wouldn’t matter to me. It _does_ matter to her, though.”

“My mother died trying to stop her,” said Falere, pointing an accusing finger at Shepard. “And you’ve dishonored her sacrifice and everything she stood for by letting her go.”

“Morinth is here now to prove to you why she was worthy of that decision,” Shepard replied curtly. “So, would you like our help, or not?”

Falere, still glaring at them, said nothing. Shepard was sure she wanted to refuse them, but couldn’t rationally do it.

“… Well, if that’s settled,” said Shepard, “Leira, which way-”

“Wait,” said Falere, “please, they have my sister!”

“They have Rila??” asked Morinth, stunned.

“I saw some of those creatures take her into the Great Hall,” Falere explained. “I’ve been trying to get there.”

“That’s where we’re headed,” Leira confirmed. “We’ll do a sweep for survivors.”

“You’ll excuse me if I don’t believe you,” Falere shot back. “Those asari commandoes they sent didn’t stop to help anyone.”

“Falere,” said Morinth gently. “I know you may never forgive me for what happened to mother, but I still care about you and Rila, and I’ve asked Leira and Shepard to respect my wishes to help get both of you out of here alive. Please, just trust me. Trust us.”

Falere said nothing, but seemed to have simmered down.

“We have to keep moving,” Leira urged them. Falere walked over to the balcony and jumped down to the next floor using her biotics, heading for the Great Hall. Leira and Morinth made the same jump and followed her. “Meet us there, Commander,” Leira called out from below.

Shepard turned and looked at Garrus and James. “Well, I could have followed them if you two weren’t just ordinary soldiers.”

James chuckled. “That hurts, Commander.”

“Shepard, I don't disagree with what you said or your reasons, but you may want to take it easy with Falere,” Garrus advised him earnestly. “She's just found out about her mother and is grieving, after all, and now she has her other sister to worry about on top of that.”

“It's a tough time for everyone right now, Garrus, but we have to keep moving throughout it all," Shepard responded. "There’s a war raging on out there and I can’t just wait on civilians to get their shit together.” He then paused for a few moments. “… But maybe you’re right. I may have been a little harsh with her. I guess this war’s just been getting to me a bit, you know? Anyway, let’s keep going. The ‘Hall isn’t far.”

“I’m with you,” Garrus replied.

Shepard and the two of them took a door to their side and then followed a staircase down to the level below.

 

* * *

 

After fighting through a small group of Cannibals and Marauders led by another Banshee, Shepard and his squad took an elevator down to the Great Hall. As the doors opened, the three of them found a wide open room that appeared to have been repurposed by the Reapers into a harvesting camp. There was a terrible stench in the air. Tubing ran along the sides of the walls and a few dead bodies lay around the room. A couple of Reaper devices were placed in the area that did not appear to serve any particular purpose. Indoctrination, Shepard figured. Strangely, there was no actual Reaper presence in the area.

At the far end of the room lay the bomb, which the three of Leira, Morinth, and Falere seemed to be examining. Shepard and his squad hurried over. When he got there, Shepard saw it was not the bomb they were examining, but another asari victim.

“Rila? Rila, can you hear me?” Falere asked desperately. It was their sister.

“There’s a pulse,” said Morinth, checking Rila’s wrist. “She’s still alive. We just need to get her safe.”

“She may be indoctrinated,” Leira pointed out.

“Falere,” said Shepard, “how long has Rila been in captivity?”

“They captured her around three last night,” Falere replied, “so it was 18 hours ago.”

“Then she should be fine,” Shepard concluded. “But not here. She needs to get as far away from Reaper influence as possible before it sets in for good. Meanwhile, we need to get this bomb detonated and get the hell out of dodge.”

“Are you sure about that Commander?” asked Leira.

“I was around Reaper tech for longer than that, once,” Shepard explained. “About 48 hours. It screwed with my mind, sure, but I was okay after I got away from it. Take precautions if you must, but I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

“The bomb is armed,” Garrus concluded upon examining it, “but there’s a console with some sort of safeguard here that needs manual override. It’ll take a little time.”

“Let me handle that,” said Leira. “I know the asari commandos' protocols; I’ll get it done sooner.”

“Rila?” said Falere.

Rila opened her eyes and rolled her head, looking up at her sisters, dazed.

“Falere,” she responded, then turned and looked at Morinth. She said nothing for a few moments, then finally: “… Mirala?”

“Yes, Rila,” Morinth whispered to her. “It’s alright. We’re going to get you out of here.”

“They’re… they’re coming,” said Rila blearily.

“What?” asked Falere. “Who’s coming?”

“The monsters… I can hear them, getting closer …”

A screech came from the opposite side of the room. Reaper creatures – two Banshees, two Marauders, and a handful of husks – poured in from down the stairs. Rila put a hand to her forehead, squeezing her eyes closed.

“Ahh,” she gasped. “The whispers. They’re… pounding, in my head…”

“Rila!” Falere cried, as her sister seemed to lose consciousness.

“Override started!” Leira exclaimed. “Keep those things off of me, Commander. Morinth, you too.”

“Aye, Captain,” Morinth responded, readying her weapon. M-96 Mattock, Shepard noticed.

“We’ll cover you, Leira. Go!”

James and Shepard pulled out their shotguns and targeted the human husks charging at them. Garrus overloaded a Marauder’s shields and fired a shot from his sniper-rifle straight to its head, killing it instantly. Morinth used her rifle to unshield the other Maruader, and then casted her biotics to briefly control its movements and target its own allies, distracting the Banshees away from the four of them as they both turned their attention to the “disloyal” Marauder. One of the Banshees hit it with a devestating Warp-field, and the other one grabbed and impaled it with its blade-like fingers.

“Diablo,” James exclaimed, dropping his jaw. “Don’t let that thing near you!”

“Heh, no a problem here,” Garrus replied casually as he reloaded his sniper-rifle. “How are you shotgun-wielders doing?”

“Stay focused, you two,” Shepard responded.

“I’ve got it!” said Leira from behind them. “We have to go, Commander; the bomb is set to explode in 60 seconds.”

“You heard her,” said Shepard. “Let’s move!”

“Falere,” said Morinth, “help me take Rila.” Falere said nothing while helping hoist their sister off the ground. Rila groaned in pain with both hands around her head. “Just hold on, Rila. Hold on…”

Shepard motioned his hand forward twice; James and Garrus made a mad dash forward past the Banshees, both of which reached for them as they passed by. Fortunately, the two of them escaped the Banshees' deadly grasp. As those Banshees were distracted, Morinth and Falere ran forward and slipped them by, clutching their sister tightly in their arms.

Leira went next. One of the Banshees turned around and got a hold of her, raising her up into air with one hand as the blade-like fingers of its other hand found their way behind her neck. Shepard hit it with a forceful biotic shockwave, dislodging Leira from its grasp. He helped her up off the floor quickly and ran back to the elevator with her as the monsters chased them from behind in hot pursuit. Together, they all made it back to the elevator and tagged the console for the upper level.

The elevator climbed slowly. As it reached the upper level, they all heard the explosion of the bomb in the Great Hall. Shepard turned and looked at Rila, who slowly drew her hands away from her head and relaxed her body in the arms of her sisters.

 

* * *

 

As the seven of them altogether returned to the Monastery entrance outside, Morinth and Falere sat Rila down to the side. Shepard joined them and activated his omnitool.

“Not wounded,” said Shepard. “Just…”

“… Rila?” cried Falere. “Can you hear us?”

Rila opened her eyes and looked up at them again.

“It’s over,” she gasped. “They’re gone. No more whispers…”

Morinth put a hand on Rila’s shoulder.

“I- …” Rila muttered, before her head rolled over limp again.

“She ought to be okay,” Shepard reassured them. “It just might take her a bit to recover. C’mon, we need to get out of here.”

“Where are we supposed to go?” asked Falere. “Our home has been destroyed.”

“Leira and I can arrange for housing on the Citadel,” said Shepard.

“But with a chaperone,” Leira added. “I may be a Spectre, but I’ll have some explaining to do if ‘High Command finds out I’m harboring unsupervised Ardat Yakshi.”

“I had a space on the Citadel from ‘militia,” said Morinth. “I still do. Rila and Falere can stay there.”

Falere got up and looked at Morinth. “Mirala, you may have helped us, but that doesn’t mean we trust you or accept you now.” Proverbially slapped in the face, Morinth opened her mouth to respond, but no words would come out. What more could she do to earn their trust or acceptance than to help save their lives?

Then, Shepard stepped in. “Falere,” he said, watching his tone more carefully. “Your sister has been working hard to turn her life around. I’m not asking you to trust or accept her so soon, but please at least be supportive of her, as she needs it now more than ever.”

Falere sighed and looked and Morinth. “I’m sorry. It may not seem like it, but I appreciate that you’re trying to help us. Just… give me and Rila some space before we go any further.”

“I’ll take that,” Morinth ceded.

“When Rila wakes up, I’ll tell her that you helped us.”

“Thank you,” said Morinth softly. “I really appreciate it.”

The Normandy shuttle arrived. James helped Falere escort a limp Rila inside as Garrus followed. Leira and Morinth walked towards their skycar.

“Commander Shepard,” said Leira, “it’s been an honor working with you.”

“The pleasure was mine, Leira,” said Shepard, “but now there’s something you can do for me.”

“If that ‘something’ involves joining the Alliance on Earth, you needn’t ask,” said Leira. “Once you’re ready to take back your planet, Morinth and I will be there.” Morinth affirmed that with a nod.

“Awesome,” said Shepard, shaking hands with Leira. “Thanks, guys.” Leira and Morinth got back in their skycar.

Shepard returned to his ship’s shuttle.


	9. Leave.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just some post-mission Morinth/Shepard dialogue ideas.

Strolling through the Presidium Commons on Citadel business, Shepard spotted Morinth once again, waiting at the end of the line for a catalog-interface console for the store Nos Astra Sporting Goods. Just as Shepard walked over to see her, Morinth noticed him.

“Shepard!” she exclaimed.

“Morinth. Good to see you again.”

Morinth beamed. “I have a few days of ‘leave while Leira is here to report to the Council and get our next assignment. Meanwhile, she has me running errands as usual. That’s why I’m here.”

“You and me both,” said Shepard. “But if Leira’s business here is to see Councilor Tevos, and happens to have something to do with the situation on Thessia, tell her she has my apologies.”

“I know you’d have done everything you could to save Thessia; I’m not blaming you for what happened. Neither does she.”

“Yeah,” said Shepard, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m just not used to reporting a mission failure. Oh well. We’ll get ‘em next time.”

“We were there,” said Morinth. “Councilor Tevos assigned Leira with getting our planetary defense cannons back online; Reaper scouts sabotaged some of them around the planet. Once the Reapers arrived in force, though, we had to get out of there. Leira has been trying to keep us motivated, telling us that it’s not over yet and we need to stay on our feet. Still, I think that, privately, she’s taking it pretty hard.”

“What about you?” asked Shepard.

“I told you once that I didn’t look back on my earlier life fondly, and Thessia was part of that life. When I returned with Leira, though, I was surprised at how good it felt to be back. I saw parts of Armali again that I hadn’t seen since I was a child. It’s sad to think all of that could be gone real soon, but I’m glad I got to see it again.”

“I’m doing my utmost to make sure we end this war before everything’s lost,” Shepard assured her. “As for what’s already gone, though, we will rebuild it all again. Whatever cities have fallen, we’ll raise a new one - bigger and better than the last.”

“I trust no one to get the job done more than you,” said Morinth.

“How are your sisters doing?” Shepard inquired.

“Leira found a Matriarch who’d been evacuated from another colony to chaperone them while they’re here. Real uptight, I don’t much like her, but I understand why she needs to be there. My sisters have been exploring the Citadel, wherever their chaperone allows them to go, and they seem to spend the most time down in civilian housing with the other refugees. I think they’re fascinated by meeting all sorts of new people, and are trying to help by keeping them company. It also makes them realize how lucky they are. They get to stay in a nice, comfy little apartment that I got from ‘militia. Those refugees don’t have it so nice. Some evacuated Ardat Yakshi and their supervisors are down there, too. I can’t imagine the culture shock it is for them to be here.”

“Since you’ve been saying ‘them’ and ‘their,’ I take it Rila has recovered.”

“Rila is fine,” Morinth replied. “The doctors at Huerta did a scan found no unusual brain-activity - thank Goddess. Once she got some proper nourishment, the headaches stopped too. Since then, she’s settled in with Falere in my old space here on the Presidium.”

“If you don’t mind me asking,” said Shepard, “how’s it going between you and them?”

“It’s difficult,” Morinth admitted. “Yesterday was the first day since we helped them get off the monastery that I saw them again. Falere made good on her promise to tell Rila I was there to help. They still don’t trust me yet, but they’re giving me a chance. I told them about what I’ve been doing since a few months before the war started. Now I’m debating telling them the truth about mother.”

“I see,” said Shepard. “Well, if it’s an issue of trust to them, then coming clean would show you’re serious about being honest. Besides, I did the talking back on Lesuss, not you. Let them see that you’re taking initiative to clear the air. Now, I wouldn’t tell them you killed her, just blame that one on me. Get everything else off the table. Also bring up what you did on the mission. That’s also very important for them to know.”

“Alright,” said Morinth, thinking a bit. “Maybe. It might be a bit too soon, though.”

“Of course. Whenever it makes sense to tell them, you’ll know. Do it then.”

“Thanks, Shepard.”

“Anyway,” said Shepard, “duty calls. I have to go and put Cerberus in their place, if you will. Not sure when I’ll be seeing you again, but I hope to make it at least one more time. ‘Til then, Morinth.”

“Absolutely,” Morinth responded. “Goodbye, Commander. ‘See you on Earth.”


	10. Earth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Again, some ideas of mine for Morinth's role in ME3 that never was, and then a continuation of the broader story that I have created for her in the process. Cheers!

 

> Dear sisters,
> 
> I’m not sure whether or not you’ll be able to receive this message now that the Reapers have seized the Citadel. Please, get to the nearest emergency shelter and just hold on. I learned from training I did for ‘militia that the Citadel can withstand a lot of damage and keep civilians safe if they’re escorted to one of these safe zones. You have to get to one; it’s your best chance.
> 
> It won’t be much longer. Our galactic fleets have banded together and are now en route to Earth to end the war, once and for all. In that, my thoughts are with both of you. I may not come back from this battle alive, but I’m ready to die if it means saving the galaxy, if only for my two sisters.
> 
> There’s one other thing, though. You deserve to know what really happened to mother. Shepard neglected to give you all the details when we came to rescue you from the monastery, and I did not want to complicate already-difficult matters - I hope you understand. It’s true that Shepard investigated mother’s lead on me while still a Spectre, but he did it with Samara at his side and before his mission was complete. When I was apprehended on Omega, Shepard disagreed with Samara’s approach and resolved to save my life over hers. Shepard also realized Samara’s path was not one of mercy and that the only way to save me was to finish her.
> 
> Again, I’m sorry about not being forthcoming earlier. I didn’t know how to tell you this, and it didn’t seem appropriate to explain everything while you were in danger at the monastery. I know you already blamed me for mother’s death and this probably does not make things better. Still, if you two are to trust me at all, I have to be honest with you.
> 
> It is clear to me now, after seeing both of you again at the monastery, that I made a mistake in leaving. I was very selfish at the time and didn’t consider how it would hurt you, and I may never gain your trust back for it, either. However, mother chose a path to punish my mistake with death. I may have deserved it, too, but Shepard believed otherwise and gave me a second chance. In the end, that’s all there is to say about what happened. I can’t tell you what Shepard saw in me besides my biotic talent, but in the end, he gave me an opportunity to turn things around and I have devoted myself very seriously to doing that ever since.
> 
> I joined Shepard, taking mother’s place on the team for his mission. He trained me a bit, informally, but the experience I gained on the mission was invaluable. After it was over, I came to the Citadel to receive proper training and was later recruited by Leira, as I’ve already told you. All of it has led me here, to where I am now - on the way to a defining moment in our galaxy’s history. It seems such an unlikely story for a former fugitive with my background, but I guess everything truly does happen for a reason.
> 
> One day, I hope you’ll forgive me for what I’ve done. I dedicate this fight to you, my only family left.
> 
> Your sister,
> 
> Mirala.

 

* * *

 

**[Transcript: Morinth/Shepard conversation over CEQ hologram-communicator, London FOB.]**

Morinth: Shepard, I’m glad you could made it.

Shepard: Likewise, Morinth. I’m proud to have you fighting at our side in this.

Morinth: I owe it all to you for being here. You gave me an opportunity to turn things around in my life, and you were also a great friend to me at a time when I didn’t have one. Also, thanks for helping getting my sisters out of the monastery safely.

Shepard: Of course, Morinth, but as I’ve always said: it’s not about the opportunity, but what you do with it. In that, you should be very proud of yourself.

Morinth: Regardless, though, thank you for everything.

Shepard: Don’t mention it; I appreciate you returning the favor.

Morinth: Be careful out there, Commander. See you on the other side.

 

* * *

 

How did he describe it again? Take the mechs, multiply their numbers by ten, and imagine they’re Terminus thugs instead. There would also be no shuttle for the next five hours. That, to the best of her memory, was how Shepard had described the Skyllian Blitz.

Now, she was seeing it with her own very eyes, in a way. In the middle of the war-torn city of London, Reaper-corrupted turians and batarians appeared from everywhere, surrounding her and her teammates as they fought them back fiercely. Crawling out of ditches, appearing out of nearby buildings, climbing over the top of mountains of rubble, and occasionally even dropped directly onto the ground by Harvesters, the enemies came in by the horde.

Of all planets occupied by the Reapers in this war, Earth saw the largest invasion of enemy forces. And London - the improvised center of Reaper operations - suffered the worst of the fighting and devastation. Morinth was in the thick of it now, but she wasn’t alone. Her CO, Leira, and a couple of asari teammates were at her side. Fighting beside their unit was a small pack of krogan, and some grunts that looked like Blue Suns mercenaries. On their own, the four asari could have never stood up to this kind of resistance as long as they had. They were special forces, not infantry, so they were fortunate to have assistance. Leira’s team provided support and scouted out the areas around them. Altogether, their job was to essentially form a wall around the city to keep more enemies from slipping in, while Shepard’s team took on the heaviest resistance up the gut and tried to infiltrate the Citadel.

Morinth felt a sense of urgency in her motions - not for herself, but for her sisters. The Citadel hovered above them up in the sky so ominously. Reports came in that an unnamed traitor from Cerberus (probably indoctrinated) had entered the station helped the Reapers regain control of it. Not completely, but it was only a matter of time if the united galactic forces were not successful here. Rila and Falere were up there, she thought. There may have even been Reaper minions up there now as well, seeking out more victims. If so, her sisters would meet a terrible fate, given the way the enemy used the Ardat Yakshi.

Leira’s team was grouped together in a tight circle while the krogan and the uniformed blue-and-white soldiers guarded the perimeter. Morinth knew their role was for support, but she would do more than support them. Her trusty Mattock rifle was now modified with a scope attached on top for precise shooting, and its coils were altered to increase each rounds’ penetration abilities. One of her teammates encased their circle with a mass-effect field that modified the rounds from all allied weapons to apply a potent, biotic Warp-effect. Morinth looked out into the distance and picked off Maruaders before they could even locate her. Nothing would pass this area, thought Morinth, not even if she were left to defend it by herself.

“Look!” exclaimed one of Morinth’s asari teammates, pointing to the Citadel above them. “Up there!”

Morinth looked up and saw the Citadel arms opening. Though Morinth had learned from experience to stay squarely focused on her surroundings in battle, and to worry about nothing else but the enemies in front of her, the opening of the Citadel arms was a very encouraging sign. The urgency in Morinth’s veins only grew greater, but now in a more hopeful and incited sense rather than in worry and desperation.

As she scanned further down the battlefield, she saw phantom legs walking around in the middle of the battlefield. Something was vaguely familiar about it. Then she focused on the strange image and looked further up to see a torso, heavily augmented over discolored gray skin. She then saw its face and heard it scream. That creature was still a ways out, but she knew from experience that it could eat space in a hurry.

“Banshee!” Morinth called out, taking shots from her rifle in its direction. A few krogan on the outside perimeter froze, searching for the appearance of their newest nemesis. As the Banshee teleported closer toward their position, the squad focused their fire on the target. Unfortunately, with both biotic shielding and armor-plated skin, the creature was capable of soaking large amounts of enemy fire. Next, it grabbed a nearby human in the blue-and-white uniform, lifting him into the air and impaling the victim with its knife-like fingers. A few of the asari tried to biotically stun the Banshee before it could execute the unlucky soldier, but the target was too far out of their range and therefore ineffective. The Banshee then tossed the human aside and cast a biotic Warp on a krogan, whose shields had already been dropped by a couple of Marauders he was not paying attention to. Wounded gravely by the monster’s devastating biotics, the krogan was then wrestled to the ground by the Reaper-corrupted turians and killed. Their infantry line was losing ground quickly to the enemies. Morinth then saw the Banshee turn its head toward her, as though locking on to a new target. It screeched again.

“It’s about to head our way!” Morinth informed Leira urgently.

“Everyone fall back,” Leira commanded her team. A couple of her teammates turned around in haste to run, but let their guard down and were caught in enemy crossfire, wounding them both. Leira and Morinth did not make the same mistake, looking out and eliminating a few Reaper troops out to the side. The two of them got down and tended to their wounded teammates, activating their omnitools to administer medi-gel, but the Banshee was closing in fast. Morinth helped up her teammate, who ran ahead with a limp. Morinth followed, but tripped up over a small rock in her path. She turned over to see the Banshee towering over her as she lay on the ground. It reached forward, but Morinth rolled over to the side swiftly through reflex alone, dodging the likely death-sentence that was a Banshee’s grasp. Morinth then got back on her feet and channeled her biotic power into dark energy throughout the Banshee’s oblong physique, draining the life out of it. The weakened Banshee’s biotics powered down and tried to jab Morinth with its claws. Morinth dodged its punch and shot it several times with her pistol. From the back, Leira casted a biotic projectile its way that caused Morinth’s volatile dark-channel attack to blow. The Banshee’s armor-plated skin shattered and slowly, the creature began to wither and die in front of Morinth’s eyes.

Morinth, not about to dwell on this small victory with enemies still surrounding them, turned her attention back to the battlefield. There seemed to be less of them, now, but still enough hostiles to keep her and the rest of this division of allied forces on their toes. Suddenly, they all heard a strange noise from above. Morinth looked up at the Citadel and made out a long metal arm attaching itself to the center of the station. That must have been it: the Crucible. This battle would be over anytime now.

Together they fought on with an early sense of victory upon them, knowing it wouldn’t be much longer that the enemy would last, if things all went to plan as they appeared to be. As the minutes passed, however, a sense of imminent failure slowly dawned on them. Nothing was happening. Since the Crucible docked, nothing had happened as they’d expected. It seemed they celebrated too soon. What was going on up there? Was this it? Did they fail? All were agonized by the uncertainty in this tantalizing pause.

Morinth was slowly beginning to feel regret. There was nothing she could do to save her sisters now. What was the point of it all?

Just then, out in the distance, the Citadel lit up brightly.


	11. Epilogue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is most effective if I canonize one path of ME3’s “final decision” rather than try to allow for all three to workably fit. Since this story has roughly followed my canon anyway, I’m going with Green. I feel that is also the best choice as it relates to this story, given how I look to tie things up in this final chapter.

And so it had ended.

With a swift wave of energy blanketing them in an instant, it was all over. That seemed strange, but they’d seen it all in this war. Any sign of a light at the end of the tunnel was a welcome sight, and it appeared they’d found it. Or, maybe they’d made it through to the other side. Nothing was really clear at first.

No one had imagined anything quite like this. No further destruction, just a sudden halt in all of the enemy’s progress turning to what seemed like surrender. It made no sense. The Reapers were winning. Why stop now?

Whatever their reasons, Morinth knew she had certainly had enough combat for a day. She’d lobby Leira for a full week off, if it were possible. From asari space to Earth, it had been a grueling journey for all of them. Surely a little R&R was due right about now.

Even then, it would have to wait a bit.

Morinth’s first step would be to find the nearest transport station and wait as evac teams arriving from the damaged Citadel returned with surviving refugees. The time passed, and grew agonizing, until she was finally reunited with sisters Rila and Falere. Her sisters, however, could not accept her any longer, not after Morinth made it known that she had effectively cost them their mother. Morinth would continually try to mend their relationship over the years. Though both sisters would eventually move on from their initially-bitter feelings towards her, Morinth remained a reminder of what had torn their family apart, and was never welcomed back into it.

Regrets over her past would not define her. As galactic society pieced itself together with a new set of tools at their disposal, Morinth turned her attention to a cause of great personal interest to her: the Ardat Yakshi. Under the pen-name Tevia T’Maris, Morinth would write an e-book titled _Angels of the Night Winds: Reform for the Ardat Yakshi Problem_. She detailed the reality of life with her condition – from the perspective of both herself and of others – and touched on her personal story of helping a human commander (unnamed) on an important mission, discussing how the experience helped her grow and significantly overcome the psychological battles involved with her condition.

Morinth published her work on the extranet. As the publication circulated across the open galactic comm-channels, greater attention was brought to this rare asari genetic condition than ever before. Asari social reformers rethought the traditional approach of the monastery solution, while medical researchers – now equipped with greater knowledge and innovative power – looked for various solutions to the issue. Ironically, the study of Reaper-corrupted Ardat Yakshi would lend valuable clues to this research. There was talk of possible treatments to detect the problem earlier and correct it at birth. Other rumors involved salvaged tech from “Banshees” being modified and reused as implants, which would regulate electrical pulses during the “melding” process and thus facilitate a safe sexual union. All were simply rumors at the time, but with hundreds of years ahead of her, Morinth was hopeful she’d see this research bear fruit sometime in her lifetime.

Apart from her work in gathering public support for the Ardat Yakshi, Morinth went back to Thessia to train as an asari Huntress, the elite combatants among the asari military. A good word put in for her by an asari Spectre helped fast-track her rise in this new career. Upon successful completion, Morinth later became revered among her compatriots as one of their most skilled and accomplished operatives.

But before departing Earth, Morinth paid a private tribute to a fallen friend who made it all possible for her: Commander Shepard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. =]

**Author's Note:**

> Once again, even if I don’t respond to your comments, I appreciate any and all constructive feedback I get as I try to flex my creative muscles a bit more with these stories.


End file.
